The Combat School
by Tsarina Torment
Summary: Akuma have terrorised the wizarding world for far too long, so a fourth school will be taking part on the Triwizard Tournament - as bodyguards. With a new Care of Magical Creatures Professor for the year to help Hagrid, how will the Tournament flow?
1. The Mission

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Harry Potter**_** or **_** -Man**_**. Why does it automatically shorten DGM to –Man? It's annoying!**

**Mum doesn't like my plot for Rōzukurosu Academy so I'm writing an alternate one to make her happy! This is also for **Mourningstar13** who came up with a truly inspiring review for Rōzukurosu Academy. The school will have the same name because I'm too lazy to think up another one.**

Chapter 1 – The Mission

"Yes, yes. I understand…. Certainly…. Rōzukurosu Academy?... That's fine… Yes, yes… Is three boys and one girl acceptable?... Good. I'll inform them of their mission… You want my deputy to come as well? Yes, that can be arranged… More staff?... A Care of Magical Creatures Professor? Certainly. I have just the people… No, that won't leave us understaffed… I can cover for my deputy… Yes… Is that all, Professor Dumbledore? Good. So in a week's time? Yes, that will give us ample time to arrive. Thank you. Yes, you can count on us… Goodbye, Professor."

Lenalee coughed as Komui put down the phone.

"I have your coffee, Nii-san," she said.

"MY DARLING LENALEEEEEE! YOUR COFFEE IS ALWAYS WELCOME!" the sister complex shrieked, lunging for his younger sibling, who dodged and put the coffee on the table. He pouted.

"Who were you talking to?" she asked as her brother sat back down.

"Hmm? Oh! That was Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He requires our services. Can you fetch Allen-kun, Kanda-kun, Lavi-kun, Cloud-san and Reever?"

"Of course," Lenalee said, and ran out of the room to find her comrades. She found Allen where she expected to. In the cafeteria, chatting to Lavi.

"Ah! Lenalee-chan!" Lavi shouted, catching sight of her as she made her way towards them. Allen waved as he stopped shovelling food into his mouth and attempted to swallow.

"Lavi, Allen-kun," she acknowledged. "After you've finished eating, Nii-san needs to see you in his office – both of you. We have a mission."

"The three of us?" Allen asked having swallowed his mouthful of food.

"And Kanda, Cloud-san and Reever," Lenalee replied.

"Reever?" Lavi asked. "Why him?"

"I don't know. Now hurry up! I'm off to look for the others." And with that she left, heading towards the dojo where she expected to find Kanda. Again, she was correct and found him sitting on the floor, meditating.

"What is it?" he asked when she made no move to either join him or go away.

"We have a mission and Nii-san wants you to go to his office now," she replied.

"What about you?" he asked as he stood, retrieving Mugen from where it lay next to him.

"I've got to get everyone else," she said.

"Who? And don't say Moyashi," Kanda inquired.

"I've already fetched him and Lavi-" Kanda groaned "- I need to get Cloud-san and Reever."

"Reever?" Kanda asked. "And how many of us are going?" he added as he walked towards the door.

"Six of us. And I have no idea why Reever is coming as well," Lenalee said as she too left, this time in search of the only female general.

Once again, her women's intuition was proved correct as she found General Cloud and Lau Jimin bathing in the women's communal baths.

"Cloud-san?" Lenalee said, making her presence known to the older female.

"Yes, Lenalee?" the blonde asked. "Keep washing, Lau," she added to her Parasite Beast.

"We have a mission so Nii-san would like to see you in his office as soon as possible," Lenalee replied.

"I'll be there shortly. Will you wait for me or are there others you need to round up?" the general asked.

"I have one more person to collect," Lenalee said and exited the baths as the blonde waited for Lau Jimin to finish cleaning itself.

This time, Lenalee didn't need women's intuition to know where she would find Reever. She headed straight for the lab where she knew she would find an exhausted, sleep-deprived Reever Wenhamm working on some experiment or other.

"Reever!" she called. The Australian looked up at Lenalee and sighed in disappointment when he saw that she didn't come bearing the life-saving liquid known as coffee. "Nii-san wants to see you in his office," she informed him.

"Why?" he asked as he followed her towards Komui's office.

"I'm not sure, but I think you'll be coming with me and a few others on a mission," she said. He looked just as confused as she was.

"Reever's here, Nii-san," Lenalee announced as she entered the office with the science chief in tow. Everyone else, including General Cloud who, miraculously, did _not_ look like she had just emerged from the bath, was there already. General Cloud had claimed the sofa, while Allen and Lavi were hovering nearby. Kanda was standing in the corner nearest the door, trying to keep his distance. Reever went to stand by Allen and Lavi, while General Cloud offered Lenalee a seat next to her on the sofa, which the girl accepted.

"So what is this mission and why are there so many of us?" General Cloud asked Komui while Lau Jimin chattered quietly on her shoulder. "Hush, Lau."

Komui cleared his throat, just to make sure he had everyone's attention as Kanda was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. Irritated, the Japanese opened his eyes to glare at him.

"I received a 'phone call from a man called Professor Albus Dumbledore concerning a major upcoming event in the wizarding world," he started.

"What?" Allen interrupted.

"Wizarding world?" Kanda demanded. "There's no such thing as wizards."

"Innocence is not that different to magic," Lavi informed him.

"A-_hem_," General Cloud said, effectively preventing an argument from being born. "Komui, continue."

"There have been various sightings of machine-type things, which we and Dumbledore know to be akuma, for nigh on half a century in their 'world' but their numbers have recently drastically increased and so it is getting unsafe for anyone to travel without risk of being attacked. In light of this, Dumbledore has called for the reinstating of a major event, the Triwizard Tournament, in order to gather the students from the three most prestigious wizarding schools under one roof. He has asked me if I would send some exorcists and Black Order personnel, under the guise of a fourth school, to act as bodyguards for the students, in particular the 'champion' from each school."

"'Champion?'" Lavi asked.

"This is a Tournament, and as such, one student from each school is chosen to compete in three highly dangerous tasks to gain honour for their school," Komui explained. "Professor Dumbledore has asked me if I would supply four exorcists of school age, and exorcist to pose as a teacher, and another Black Order personnel to pose as headmaster. The subject our 'teacher' is obliged to teach is 'Care of Magical Creatures', which is why I thought of you, Cloud-san. Reever will pose as the headmaster, and your 'Potions teacher' while Allen-kun, Kanda-kun, Lavi-kun and Lenalee-chan will be the students and bodyguards."

"Why will we have to act as bodyguards?" Kanda asked. "Can't we just go in, destroy the akuma, and then go again?"

"That's effectively what we are doing," Komui replied. "But the fewer people that know about exorcists the better. This is an effective disguise for us to adopt."

"So how long does this tournament last?" Lenalee asked.

"The three tasks are spread over an academic year," Komui replied. "And you will be there for the entire school year."

"WHAT!" Kanda exploded. "A year-long mission as a bodyguard! You've got to be kidding me!"

Komui sighed.

"In order for you to appear as inconspicuous as possible, you will have to stay there the year. Besides, Cloud-san will be teaching for an entire year so it's only right that the rest of you are as well."

"So when do we leave?" Allen asked.

"Today. As soon as you're packed. It will take you a week to arrive there. Professor Dumbledore will have your cover story sorted and will have covered your tracks as best he can to prevent some of his more inquisitive and intelligent students finding out about you. All I know is that you will be called Rōzukurosu Academy of Combatant Magic and use a special type of 'magic' – which is how you will have to refer to your innocence – to explain your lack of magical skills and wands."

Kanda scowled.

"Now – go and pack and gather by the barge in one hour." One by one, they all left the room.

"Lenaleeeeeeeeee!" Komui cried suddenly. "You don't have to goooooooo! I can send someone else instead-"

The emerald-haired girl sighed.

"I'm going, Nii-san. See you in a year," she said. "Aren't you glad to be rid of Allen and Kanda's arguments for a year?" she added as she walked out the door.

An hour later, Komui made his way to the barge with six largish parcels. He just arrived in time to catch them before they left.

"Here is something you will need at Christmas," he said, handing them each a parcel with their name on it. "No, don't open them yet – wait until you arrive," he said as Lavi started to pick at the paper. Crestfallen, yet intrigued, Lavi left the mysterious thing wrapped.

"Now, off you go!" he said, and watched as they boarded the boat and left.

"I wonder what these are," Allen said, prodding his parcel. "It's soft."

"Either a Christmas present or some other useless thing," Kanda replied, scowling at his parcel, which he had put on top of his suitcase.

"Now, now," General Cloud said. "Behave. I don't tolerate disobedience, and I would like to make sure that you remember that you answer to first Reever, then me, on this mission."

"Sure, Cloud-san!" Lavi said. Kanda 'tched' but didn't say anything.

"And as much as I distrust Komui's inventions, I'm more inclined to believe that these are some form of clothing required at Christmas," General Cloud continued as though they hadn't responded. Lau Jimin chattered in agreement on her shoulder.

"What am I going to do for food?" Allen wondered suddenly. "If they have to feed three schools as well as us, will there be enough food for me?"

"It's a school of _magic_, Moyashi," Kanda scoffed. "I'm sure they can conjure up enough food even for your gluttonous appetite."

"It's _Allen_, BaKanda!" Allen retorted. "And it's not my fault I need to eat so much!"

"_Guys_," Lenalee said, noticing Reever's pale face as he realised that he would have to put up with the bickering for a year.

"Tch."

* * *

A week later, tired and fed up of the weird looks they were getting from their uniform from wizards, the six travellers finally arrived at Hogwarts.

"Whoa!" was Lavi's first thought, to which everyone agreed (mentally in Kanda's case).

"I'm pleased that you are impressed, master...?" a man with long, white hair and crescent-moon glasses said, amused.

"Lavi, Bookman jr," Lavi replied. "Would I be correct in assuming that I am talking with Professor Albus Dumbledore?"

"You would be indeed," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. "Now, I doubt that you are in charge of this group, so wouldn't it be a good idea to get into the habit of deferring to your superiors for this mission?"

Abashed, Lavi looked down.

"Serves you right, baka usagi," Kanda muttered.

"I am Reever Wenhamm, Science Chief at the Black Order," Reever said. "With me are Exorcist General Cloud Nine, who will fill the role of Care of Magical Creatures Professor for the year, and Exorcists Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, Yu Kanda and Lavi, junior Bookman."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Dumbledore said. "I am Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. With me are Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress, Head of Gryffindor and Transfiguration Professor, Professor Severus Snape, Head of Slytherin and Potions Master, Professor Filius Flitwick, Head of Ravenclaw and Charms Professor, Professor Pomona Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff and Herbology Professor, Argus Filch, Caretaker, Madame Poppy Pomfrey, Head nurse and Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of keys and grounds of Hogwarts and our Care of Magical Creatures Professor." Each member of staff inclined their head when their name was mentioned. "We will be the only Hogwarts staff to know of your true purpose here. Professor Igor Karkaroff, High Master of Durmstrang, and Madame Olympe Maxime, Headmistress of Beauxbatons, will also be informed."

Reever and General Cloud acknowledged each member of staff before the female spoke.

"What types of creatures will I be dealing with?" she inquired. "And what will happen to my comrades until their presence is required?"

"You would be best off talking to Hagrid about the creatures. As I previously stated, he is our Care of Magical Creatures Professor, but as he is also the groundkeeper he will have a lot to worry about so a temporary replacement is very welcome. As for your comrades, I have had some quarters prepared for you, which involves individual rooms, a dojo and a common room which contains a lot of books. We feel that it would be best for you to remain out of sight until the other schools arrive, although I assume that you will want to familiarise yourselves with the area?" Dumbledore replied. The exorcists nodded. "We have a week until school starts, and you can spend that time cleaning the area of any akuma and familiarising yourselves with the terrain. Hagrid will inform you about what is usual in the Forbidden Forest – so named because we try to discourage our students from entering it as it is full of dangers. Once school has started I would ask that you keep your rounds until after the students' curfew – but please still be cautious as a few of the students like to go out for midnight wanderings…" Snape muttered something under his breath that sounded like _Potter and his friends_. "We will also spend some time briefing you about the wizarding world as it is imperative that you understand how this society works, and famous figures you should be aware of." Again, Snape muttered _Potter_.

Reever thanked him and they were about to head into the castle when Madame Pomfrey coughed.

"Ah! Thank you, Poppy!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "As we thought that you are highly unlikely to escape any form of injury or ailment during your year here, Madame Pomfrey will need to know about your medical history and how your bodies heal as we are not sure that our usual treatments will be as effective as we would wish."

The exorcists all agreed – Kanda albeit reluctantly and after a lot of consideration. Despite not wanting to let the witches and wizards know about his curse, he knew the sensibility of the suggestion.

"If you'll all follow me then, sirs and ma'ams," Filch said, "I'll show you to your living quarters now."

None of the Black Order Personnel had any objections so they followed the squib into the majestic castle. The first shock they had was of the moving, talking pictures.

"Hello there, new are you?" a young lady said kindly, making Allen jump.

"Ta-talking pictures?" he gasped.

"This is the wizarding world, young sir," Filch said.

Just as they went round the corner it was Kanda's turn to get a fright as he walked right through a ghost and experienced a rather unpleasant chill. Lavi burst out laughing at his expression until the Japanese recovered and drew Mugen, swearing to kill him. He was quickly pacified by Lenalee.

"I do beg your pardon," the ghost said. Kanda glared at him. "I do believe that you are the exorcists, am I correct?" General Cloud nodded. "Well then, if I may be so bold as to give you a warning – keep an eye out for Peeves, the resident poltergeist. He loves playing pranks on newcomers such as yourselves."

"Thank you, err…" Lenalee said.

"Oh! I am being rude and neglecting to introduce myself. I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, ghost of Gryffindor."

"Nearly-headless Nick to everyone else," Filch explained.

"Nearly-headless?" Lavi inquired. "Oof!" he said as Lenalee elbowed him harshly.

"Sorry, that was very rude of him," she apologised.

"I am used to it," Nick said. He yanked on his hair and Kanda narrowed his eyes as he saw the neck was almost completely severed. "Executioner made a hash of beheading me properly. It took him forty-five tries to kill me," he explained. Lenalee covered her mouth with her hands.

"That's horrible!" she gasped.

"Now if you're done chatting to ghosts," Filch said "I can continue showing you to your quarters." Lenalee bid farewell to the ghost as they followed Filch down a maze of corridors.

"I'm going to get so lost," Allen moaned. Lavi laughed at him. "It's not funny!" he snapped.

"Yes it is, Moyashi," Kanda said, looking back from where he walked besides Filch.

"It's _Allen_, BaKanda!" Allen retorted.

"Whatever."

Eventually, they arrived at a portrait of a young woman who introduced herself as April Rose.

"Cherry Drops," Filch said. She smiled and swung forwards to reveal a large room with a fireplace, comfy chairs, tables and _lots_ of books. Lavi's visible eye lit up at the sight. "You can choose your own password," Filch said. "Cherry Drops is the Headmaster's temporary one." The exorcists and Reever nodded in understanding. Lavi headed straight for the books and made to open one – _Hogwarts: A History_.

"Lavi," Lenalee said. "Perhaps it would be a good idea to choose your room first and unpack." Lavi looked up to see that the others had grabbed their luggage and were heading towards doors embedded in the wall. Kanda opened a door that looked slightly different to the others and Lavi laughed at the irony. He'd found the dojo. Glowering at the junior Bookman, Kanda closed that door and opened the one next to it. They soon discovered that all the rooms were identical. Each contained a four-poster bed, a wardrobe, a desk and a chair. There was a large window with a sill wide enough to sit on in the wall opposite the door. Another door opened into a small bathroom.

Upon entering his room, Kanda propped Mugen up against the bed as he opened his suitcase. First, he picked up his lotus flower, that Komui had insisted he take to keep an eye on it, which he placed on the desk. Next, a stand for Mugen so that it would be less likely to fall over in the night. Sword polish and other products with the clear purpose of caring for Mugen were placed on the desk. A hair brush and spare hairties entered the bathroom along with toothbrush and other necessities. Finally, he unpacked his clothes, placing them neatly on hangers in the wardrobe. He then remembered the parcel that Komui had given him, still out in the common room, and left to, grudgingly, retrieve it.

Allen bounced on his bed a few times before doing anything else. Once that urge was sated, he unpacked his luggage – clothes into the wardrobe, food onto the desk along with some books for if he had nothing to do and his necessities into the bathroom. He then also remembered the package from Komui and went back out to get it.

Lavi opened his suitcase to reveal book after book after book. These were piled on the desk, then onto the windowsill and the floor when he ran out of space on the desk. He managed to squeeze his necessities onto the desk as well – _somehow_. The crumpled clothes at the bottom of the suitcase were thrown messily into the wardrobe before he too headed back out to collect the mysterious package.

Lenalee took great care with unpacking her clothes, carefully putting them on individual hangers in the wardrobe. She also retrieved a few items of make-up and other necessities, placing them neatly in her bathroom. A diary and a collection of pens sat on the desk as she did her best to make it look like home – which it would be for a year. She too re-entered the common room to fetch her package.

General Cloud prioritised Lau Jimin's belongings before her own, retrieving the grooming kit and arranging it neatly on her desk, putting her own necessities in the bathroom. Her whip sat on the desk, coiled neatly. Like the others, she put her clothes in the wardrobe before exiting to claim her parcel from Komui.

Reever put his clothes away and put his necessities in the bathroom, relishing in a clean room without paper strewn everywhere. He placed some books on the desk as well, fiction mainly, as well as a notepad and various pens. Like everyone else, he also went back out to retrieve the parcel.

They all emerged from their respective rooms at the same time, determined to find out what their 'present' from Komui was. Each of them ripped the paper off and stared at what fell out.

Kanda had a traditional, black, Japanese kimono with sparkly black thread creating patterns of lotus flowers.

Allen had a traditional black, English, suit complete with top hat, to his amusement. It wasn't too similar to his normal attire, just slightly smarter and pristine.

Lavi also had a black, English, suit, but without the hat. A note attached informed him that he was not to wear a bandana with the outfit.

Lenalee had a Chinese dress, emerald in colour with golden dragonflies embroidered all over it.

General Cloud had a long, silver dress with a slit from her hip. It was obviously skin tight and had a generous neck line.

Reever had the same outfit as Lavi, only in navy blue.

"What are these for?" Allen wondered.

"I'm sure we'll find out later," General Cloud said. "In the meantime, I suggest that we put these in our wardrobes to keep them clean – Komui must have had a good reason for giving these to us."

They all did so, Kanda glowering at the kimono that looked so out of place next to his spare uniform, white shirts and black trousers. They then gathered to inspect the dojo which, Kanda was pleased to see, had a smaller room attached. Obviously Dumbledore had been informed of his meditation habits. The room was well built, and they got the feeling that not even the Innocence would break the walls. There was a knock on the door, and Dumbledore entered.

"Would you like a tour of the school?" he inquired. "Ms Cloud, you will be taking your classes outside, near the forest, and I thought you might like to know where the Great Hall and my office are." The Black Order personnel agreed and followed him.

Another shock was in store for them – in the form of moving staircases. Just as they stepped on a flight to travel downstairs, the steps moved, causing Lavi to yelp in surprise. Kanda jut scowled at the steps as though they were committing a grave sin.

"Hee hee hee!" a snide voice called from above them, the only warning before small objects such as chalk were hurled at them. "Newbies! What fun! And they're earrrrrrrrlllly!" A diminutive ghost appeared and blew a raspberry at them. Kanda drew Mugen and Peeves – for that was who it was – laughed. "Muggle weapons won't hurt meeeeeee, not Peevesy!"

"Peeves!" another voice thundered, and there was a rattle of chains as another ghost appeared, covered in blood. Reever gasped quietly.

"Sorry, your Bloodiness, sir," the poltergeist said, bowing low before speeding off. The bloody ghost huffed in annoyance.

"I apologise, Headmaster," he said. "He should not treat guests that way." He turned to the exorcists and Reever. "I am known as the Bloody Baron, ghost of Slytherin." And with that he left.

"Not much of a talker," Lavi murmured to Allen, who grinned and glanced at Kanda.

"Who does he remind you of?" he commented. Lavi laughed.

"Yeah."

They entered the Great Hall and Lavi whistled in admiration.

"Nice ceiling – that _is_ a ceiling right, not the open sky?" he said. Dumbledore smiled. You are correct, it is an illusion made by magic. This is where we eat our meals. Now I will take you to the kitchen to meet our cooks." Allen brightened considerably.

"Food?" he said hopefully. Dumbledore chuckled.

"I was informed of your appetite, Mr. Walker," he said. "We have decided that it would be best for everyone if you would eat your main breakfast before the school eats and dinner afterwards, and enjoy an average-sized mean with the rest of us."

"_Two_ breakfasts and dinners!" Allen exclaimed. "Brilliant!" Lenalee smiled at her friend while Kanda 'tched' in irritation.

They walked to the kitchens – Lavi was quite intrigued by the tickling of a pear to gain access – and were astounded at the sight of hundreds of house elves.

"Whoa!" Lavi said. "So these little guys prepare all the food for the castle? That's impressive."

"House elves enjoy work above everything else," Dumbledore explained. "They are happy to do it."

The house elves were delighted with Allen, having learnt that he was the one with the amazing appetite, and refused to let them leave without food. Kanda had ensured that there would be soba for him at every meal, much to the amusement of the others. The house elves were delighted with the challenge of a new dish to make.

* * *

After an exhausting tour of the castle, and a long conversation between General Cloud and Hagrid, it was time to retire, Kanda slightly miffed that there hadn't been time to train. They all lay in bed that night, wondering just how strange the following year would be. They had no idea.

**Here's chapter 1.**

**I hope you liked it!**

**Tsari**


	2. The Start of Term

**Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor DGM.**

Chapter 2 – The start of term

Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way through the wet corridors, dodging the various water-filled balloons that Peeves was pelting at everyone, teachers and students alike. Thankfully, Professor McGonagall managed to soon stop the poltergeist with a threat – that she'd call Professor Dumbledore. Dripping wet, both from Peeves and the torrential rain outside, they entered the Great Hall, which looked as magnificent as usual, despite the ceiling looking as though it was about to try and drown them all. Taking their seat, they were greeted by Nearly Headless Nick. Colin Creevey made a somewhat unwelcome conversation as he gushed about his younger brother, hoping that young Dennis Creevey would make it into Gryffindor.

Trying his best to ignore Colin, Harry looked up at the staff table, and was somewhat astonished to see more empty seats than usual, as well as the customary new face. A strict-looking woman sat next to Hagrid's seat, blonde hair tied in a ponytail while a massive scar covered half her face. The other half of her face was covered by a long fringe. A small monkey sat on her shoulder, chattering away. Even more surprisingly, however, were her clothes. Unlike the rest of the staff, with the obvious exception of Hagrid, she was not wearing robes, but rather a curious black outfit with golden trimming and a golden emblem over her heart.

"Do you reckon she's the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Harry murmured to Ron and Hermione.

"I hope so," Ron replied. "She looks awesome!" He was hit on the head by Hermione.

"Show some respect, would you?" she hissed angrily. "And the Defence teacher's chair is still empty – she's in a different seat. Professor McGonagall's seat is still empty too."

Just then, the doors open and there was utter silence as Professor McGonagall led the first years to where the Sorting Hat waited on its stool at the front of the Hall. A tiny boy looked around, spotted Colin and mouthed 'I fell in the lake!'. He was draped in Hagrid's coat. Hagrid himself sidled into his seat at the end of the table, next to the new woman.

Once the eleven year olds were in position a tear in the hat opened wide and the hat started to sing:

"_A thousand years or more ago,_

_When I was newly sewn,_

_There lived four wizards of high renown,_

_Whose names are still well known:_

_Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,_

_Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,_

_Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,_

_Shrewd Slytherin, from fen._

_They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,_

_They hatched a daring plan_

_To educate young sorcerers_

_Thus Hogwarts School began._

_Now each of these four founders_

_Formed their own house, for each_

_Did value different virtues_

_In the ones they had to teach._

_For Gryffindor, the bravest were_

_Prized far beyond the rest;_

_For Ravenclaw, the cleverest_

_Would always be the best;_

_For Hufflepuff, hard workers were_

_Most worthy of admission;_

_And power-hungry Slytherin_

_Loved those of great ambition._

_While still alive they did divide_

_Their favourites from the throng,_

_Yet how to pick the worthy ones_

_When they were dead and gone?_

'_Twas Gryffindor who found the way,_

_He whipped me off his head_

_The founders put some brains in me_

_So I could choose instead!_

_Now slip me snug about your ears,_

_I've never yet been wrong,_

_I'll have a look inside your mind,_

_And tell where you belong!"_

Applause echoed throughout the Great Hall as it finished.

"That's not the song it sang when it Sorted us!" Harry observed, clapping with all the rest.

"Sings a different one every year," Ron said. "I bet it spends all year thinking up the next one – it's got to have a pretty boring life, after all."

The Sorting took a very long time, according to Harry and Ron's stomachs, although in reality it wasn't long at all. The feast, opened by Professor Dumbledore's words 'tuck in' lasted for ages, according to Hermione after she discovered about the existence of house elves within the castle.

At the end of the feast, Dumbledore stood up, ready to give out the start of term notices.

"Mr Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle this year has been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it. As ever, I would like to remind you all that the Forest in the grounds in out-of-bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year.

"It is my painful duty to inform you that the inter-house Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."

"_What?_" Harry gasped. Looking around at Fred and George he saw that the two Gryffindor Beaters were mouthing soundlessly, too appalled to speak.

"This is due to an event which will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy – but I am sure you will enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts-"

At that moment the doors to the Great Hall swung forcibly open and everyone saw a man shrouded in black begin to limp up the Hall towards the staff table. There was a wooden _'clunk'_ every other step. He reached Dumbledore and shook his hand. After a brief, mumbled, conversation, the stranger took the only remaining empty seat.

"May I introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Moody," Dumbledore said brightly. It was usual for a new member of staff to be applauded, but only Hagrid and Dumbledore put their hands together. Everyone else seemed to be in too much of a shock to clap.

"Mad-Eye Moody, the Auror?" Ron gasped.

"Then who's the other new face?" Hermione asked. "All the teaching positions are full."

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"As I was saying, I am delighted to announce that we will have the honour of hosting none other than the newly reinstated Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" Fred Weasley said loudly. The tension in the Hall broke as nearly everyone laughed, including Dumbledore who chuckled appreciatively before going on to explain the event. Anger tore through the Hall when he mentioned the age limit, and many people immediately began to plot ways of entering despite still being underage.

"A-_HEM_," Professor McGonagall said, effectively silencing the Hall.

"Thank you, Professor," Dumbledore said. "Now, in light of this event and the amount of work it will place upon our gamekeeper, we have decided that, for this year only, Hagrid will not undertake his teaching duties. I am pleased to announce that Professor Nine has agreed to cover him for a year. I hope you will make her feel welcome."

Professor Nine stood as she received the customary applause.

"So that's who she is!" Harry said. "I hope she'll be OK – imagine if she favours the Slytherins!"

"I don't think she will," Hermione said. "She doesn't look like she'll take any nonsense."

"Doesn't look like she knows how to laugh, does she?" Ron commented. "Please don't say she's another McGonagall!"

"Who said she looks 'awesome'?" Hermione asked scathingly. Ron ignored her.

"And now it is time for bed," Dumbledore announced. "Chop chop!"

As everyone crowded out of the Hall, the discussion was, predominately, about the upcoming Tournament, and speculation about their two new teachers.

After all the students had departed from the Great Hall - and a good many of the teachers - the side door near where Hagrid sat opened. It had already been open a sliver – just enough for one person to look through.

"Well?" Cloud demanded as the other exorcists entered.

"I'm amazed," Allen confessed. "I didn't see a single akuma."

"Young master Potter and his friends were doing a lot of talking," Lavi observed.

"Mr Potter has always had some… disregard… for the rules," Snape commented. "It does not surprise me."

"They should all at least be in their dormitories," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps you should commence with your rounds now." The five exorcists nodded. "Ms Cloud – perhaps you ought to rest tonight. I seem to recall you have the fourth year Gryffindors and Slytherins tomorrow morning. That will be a tough class to handle." She nodded.

"I leave the rounds to you," she told the other exorcists before retiring to their quarters. The four teens paid their respect to the wizards and witches still present before disappearing in pairs – Allen and Lavi, and Kanda and Lenalee. The pairs had been chosen some time ago – Lavi would (hopefully) stop Allen getting lost and Lenalee annoyed Kanda the least. It worked. Midnight came around as they finished, having found no more akuma, greeting April Rose as they entered their chambers with the word 'Innocence'. It was a password they thought no student would easily guess.

"Aside from the first few rounds, we've found no akuma," Lavi said. "Does this mean that it's far harder to convert wizards or do the wards around the castle keep the majority away from the boundaries?"

"That's your riddle to puzzle out, not ours," Kanda said as he entered his room and locked the door. Allen and Lenalee bade Lavi goodnight before entering their rooms. It was a guarantee that Lavi would not go to bed until the early hours of the morning, if at all.

* * *

The next morning Harry, Ron and Hermione inspected their new timetables.

"Today's not bad – outside all morning," Ron said. "Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Care of Magical Creatures… damn, we're still with the Slytherins…"

"And double Divination this afternoon," Harry groaned. It was easily his least favourite subject, with the exception of Potions.

There was the whoosh of owls as the post arrived. Harry instinctively looked up, but there wasn't a snowy owl amongst all the browns and greys.

Herbology went quickly, to Harry's delight. He hated the sight of the… Bubotubers… that they had been squeezing almost as much as the pus that they oozed when squeezed, even if the experience was oddly satisfying.

Harry, Ron and Hermione walked towards the edge of the forest, along with the rest of the Gryffindors, looking for Professor Nine. To their relief, they found her easily. She was standing by the paddock that had housed the Hippogriffs the previous year.

"Good morning," she said to them as they approached. She was greeted in turn by a few mumbles. "I would appreciate a response," she said. "But that can wait until the Slytherins arrive. I do hope they haven't got lost – it would be such a nuisance to have to look for them." Just then the Slytherins appeared, to her obvious pleasure. "Good. Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning," the Gryffindors replied, feeling like young children. The Slytherins said nothing and received a glare.

"Now then," she said. "Professor Hagrid has kindly given me the syllabus that he expects you to understand by the end of this year. However, before I let you anywhere near those dangerous creatures I have decided that this lesson shall be dedicated to us getting to know each other – and that includes me seeing how well you can handle safer creatures."

The students looked at each other, wondering what exactly she had in mind.

"Before I show you the creatures you will be studying today, I want to know each of your names. As you are already aware, if you were paying any attention last night, I am Professor Nine and expect to be addressed as such. This," she indicated the chattering monkey on her shoulder – "is Lau Jimin. Now, I would know your names, starting with you," she pointed at Ron.

"Ron Weasley."

"Hermione Granger."

"Harry Potter."

"Neville Longbottom."

And it continued until every member of the class had said their names, the Slytherins somewhat reluctantly.

"One last thing before we start – do any of you have any questions?" Professor Nine asked. Hermione raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Do you teach at another school normally, Professor?" she asked.

"Yes. I am one of two Care of Magical Creatures Professors at Rōzukurosu Academy. Professor Dumbledore contacted our headmaster and asked if one of us could cover for Professor Hagrid for a year," Professor Nine replied. "And that all you need to know. Today I will be seeing how well you can handle Wild Gnomes."

There was a cry of outrage from the students that had grown up in wizarding families present, such as Ron and Malfoy, who either had been dealing with them since they were old enough to throw or had servants to do the same things for them.

"Silence!" Professor Nine barked. "Inside this paddock are one hundred Wild Gnomes. I want them all gone by the end of the lesson – and that does not mean tossed over the side of the fence. You need to remove them in such a way that we do not get a population of them in the forest. Begin!"

"How are we supposed to do that?" Ron gasped. Harry and Hermione looked equally mystified.

"I suggest reading your textbooks," Nine said casually. Hermione immediately dived into her bag and withdrew _The Taming of Magical Beasts_. She flicked through until she came across the chapter on Gnomes. Harry and Ron didn't bother to check their books, instead listening to Hermione as she murmured the passage required.

"'_There are different types of Gnomes – the common Garden Gnome, which most wizarding families are familiar with, and the Wild Gnome, which is not easily removed once it has chosen a 'den' - that is, a place to live and raise its young. It can be removed using the same techniques as the Garden Gnome, but they return almost instantly. However, there are some spells that do work on them, primarily _Incendio_. Jarveys can also be used.'_ We have to kill them?" she gasped.

"So it seems," Harry said, not looking too pleased.

"Can't they be tamed, or something?" Ron asked desperately. Hermione consulted the book.

"'_Wild Gnomes are notoriously hard to train, not because they are particularly vicious, but because they are so intelligent, unlike their Garden Gnome relatives, and are highly adept at pretending to be tamed, and then wrecking the area they have chosen afterwards. To the horror of most wizards and witches, to permanently remove a colony, they must be killed. Of course, the use of _Avada Kedavra_ is not encouraged. _Incendio_ is enough, followed by _Scourgify_ to remove the remains of both the creature and the den.'_" she read. "I don't think we have a choice. Professor, do we really have to kill them?"

"Yes, Miss Granger. This is only the first untameable creatures that you will have to deal with this term," Professor Nine replied.

"Isn't this Care of Magical Creatures, not Killing of Magical Creatures?" Ron asked.

"It is the study of Magical Creatures, and while you study the darker creatures in Defence Against the Dark Arts, there are more common creatures that are not especially harmful, but still need taming. If taming is not possible, even with the safer creatures, death is the only other option. It is harsh, I know, and I do not relish teaching you things like this, but it is necessary," Nine replied. "Why can I still see a hundred Wild Gnomes in the paddock? Your time is running out!" she snapped. Hermione sighed.

"_Incendio_!" The rest of the class were quick to follow suit.

"An interesting lesson, at last!" Malfoy commented to Crabbe and Goyle.

"I hope that does not mean you are enjoying this, Mr. Malfoy," Nine barked. "The taking of a life is never pleasant." Malfoy didn't meet her eyes, instead concentrating on incinerating the Gnomes. It wasn't long before the two Houses came to a mutual agreement. The Slytherins did the killing while the Gryffindors did the clean-up. With a system worked out, it wasn't long before the only sign of the Gnomes was the burnt patches of grass where the spells had missed. The end of the lesson came quickly and soon they were heading towards the Great Hall for lunch.

"Killing! What a horrible thing!" Hermione scowled.

"You heard Nine, it was necessary. She didn't enjoy it any more than we did," Ron said. Harry stayed quiet. "What's up, mate?"

"Nothing," Harry said. "But it was funny to see Malfoy put in his place. At least we know she doesn't favour the Slytherins."

"She didn't seem to favour us, either," Ron sulked. "She's just as I feared – another McGonagall."

"What do you think Hagrid's asked her to teach us?" Hermione wondered.

"I'm not sure I want to know. As long as it's not Acromantula I don't think I mind," Harry said as they sat down and began to eat.

"I'm happy not knowing," Ron said. "Because if I start to think about it I get all nervous."

Hermione stood.

"I'm off to the library, see you later," she said.

"What about food?" Ron asked as she walked away.

"I've finished." The two boys looked at her plate to see that it was indeed covered in crumbs.

"How does she eat that fast?" Ron wondered. Harry just shrugged.

Divination was as boring as ever, apart from Professor Trelawney getting Harry's birthday wrong by half a year, to Ron's amusement. They didn't find the amount of homework they were given amusing though – even less so when Hermione smugly informed them that she hadn't been given any.

They entered the entrance hall and joined the queue of people waiting for dinner when they were hailed by none other than Draco Malfoy, who then took great delight in insulting Ron's parents, who had appeared in the_ Daily Prophet_. Harry retorted with a comment about Mrs Malfoy and narrowly missed being cursed. To their delight, Professor Moody promptly transfigured Malfoy into a ferret. Unfortunately Professor McGonagall ruined the entertainment when she changed him back into a humiliated fourteen year old boy and told Moody to take him to Snape.

Once they were seated, Ron attempted to keep his two best friends silent until he memorised the moment, despite the fact that Hermione seemed determined to play the goody two shoes and stick up for McGonagall's actions. She then left to go to the library, despite not having any homework to do, much to Harry and Ron's confusion. They were then thoroughly disappointed when informed of Moody's amazing lessons and realised that they didn't have him until Thursday.

* * *

"How was your first day of teaching?" Professor Dumbledore asked Cloud. She shrugged.

"Not too bad. My fourth year class this morning was highly entertaining. I managed to get the Slytherins and Gryffindors to work together, somehow," she said.

"Congratulations," Snape said. "That is a notable achievement." Cloud accepted his words with a nod. Lau Jimin was more vocal, chattering in her ear.

"Hush, Lau," she said.

"That is a curious monkey you have there," Professor Moody commented. "I don't recognise the breed."

"Lau is a cross between a Japanese Eyemask and an Australian Rufftail," Cloud replied, remembering that not all the teachers knew that she was an exorcist.

The rest of the meal passed in silence and again the Heads of Houses, Dumbledore and Cloud remained behind as the Hall emptied. The side door opened to admit the younger exorcists, who had just finished their meal in the kitchens.

"I have to admit to being confused as to why there are so few akuma near the castle, despite the large amount of people," Lavi confessed. Snape raised an eyebrow.

"We have no new akuma?" he asked. "Then, headmaster, was it really necessary to summon all these exorcists?"

"I have a suspicion that more will come," Dumbledore said. "Remember we will have two more schools joining us."

"Tch," Kanda said.

"Do you have something to say, Kanda?" Cloud asked.

"I don't trust that new teacher – the Defence Against the Dark Arts one," he muttered. "His aura feels… off."

"Alastor Moody is a highly qualified Auror. I do not think there should be any grounds for suspicion," Dumbledore said firmly. Kanda said nothing else, but the other exorcists could tell he wasn't convinced.

"Whoever's guarding the Hogwarts Champion should be able to keep an eye on him," Lenalee whispered to Kanda, who relaxed slightly.

"I think it's time for the rounds again," Cloud said. "Go." The four younger exorcists sighed but departed.

As per usual, they started with the grounds – today all four of them were together – and ventured into the forest. For the first few rounds they'd taken Hagrid with them, relying on Allen's eye to keep him safe from Akuma, so as to get a feel for where various species had made their home. They had been introduced to 'Aragog' – a massive spider (an Acromantula according to Hagrid) – and his family, who had clearly been itching to eat the exorcists and it was only thanks to Hagrid's pleas that they weren't attacked. They had also met the centaurs, some of which had been more welcoming than others, although they had all decided to grant the exorcists passage into the forest as they wished due to the nature of their mission – the centaurs had even promised to inform them if they encountered anything that clearly didn't belong, provided they survived the encounter. They had been invaluable the first night.

They had also met other, less intelligent beast such as the shy unicorns and the bowtruckles, but none of these bothered the exorcists.

Now, with Lavi leading the way, they entered the forest, carefully skirting the massive hollow they knew to be home to Aragog and his family. Allen kept an eye out for akuma from the ground while Lenalee used her Boots to fly amongst the treetops, looking for things that didn't belong, or helpful centaurs. As usual, there were neither and they soon decided that the forest was clear.

They next moved on to the black lake. This was Lenalee and Lavi's domain as Lenalee could walk on the water with her Innocence and keep an eye out for water akuma while Lavi could fly out on his Hammer and converse with the merpeople, who had also pledged their help in scouring the grounds of akuma. As usual, there was nothing there and so they moved on.

After deciding that the Quidditch Pitch was also clear of any akuma that might be lurking, they entered the castle. The classrooms were first to be inspected, although Allen always kept a close eye on the suits of armour – perfect hiding places for akuma, he thought. Here Lenalee and the ghosts were scouts (occasionally helped by Filch and Mrs Norris), making sure that they avoided discovery by the uninformed teachers. Sir Nicholas was particularly helpful, as was the Bloody Baron who kept Peeves under control.

Finally they would inspect the houses. They had been given the passwords for each common room and would, one by one, search each house for akuma.

"Balderdash," Allen muttered as they approached the Fat Lady. She smiled at them and let them in. The previous night she had refused them entry, informing them that there were still students in the common room. This had prompted Sir Nicholas to enter and chivvy the remaining students to bed. Tonight there was no such incident and they entered with ease, silently searching the common room, then the dormitories – only peering round the corner of the door to avoid disturbing the students.

The same process was repeated in the other houses, Lavi having to answer the riddle to get them into Ravenclaw while the other Houses had only a simple password. There were no akuma anywhere to be found, meeting their expectations. It being nearly midnight, they found their way back to April Rose and murmured the password, gaining entry to their private quarters. They didn't bother searching this area as they knew that Cloud would already have done so. Reever was sitting up, waiting for them, as he did every few nights. Cloud was also still up, talking to him while Lau Jimin chattered quietly on her shoulder.

Kanda made his way straight to the dojo, entering the small room that led off of it to meditate for a while. Usually he would train, but now that students were in the castle they had been told to be as quiet as possible at night, thus they only trained while the students were in lessons.

Allen went straight into his room, delighted to see that the house elves were still supplying him with meals. He consumed the latest midnight feast they had given him before going to sleep.

Lavi headed straight for the corner of their common room that he had claimed for his own - despite the fact that the room was circular he had managed to create a corner using books. He sat down in the plush armchair that was almost buried and opened a book, continuing his research on the wizarding world and how magic might affect the production and distribution of akuma, as well as what spells might work against them.

Lenalee bade Reever and Cloud goodnight before going straight to bed, having no intention of doing anything after she filled out her day's diary. So far all the entries were looking the same. _Stayed in our quarters for most of the day. Ate meals in the kitchen with the house elves – Dobby really is such a sweet little thing! Still no akuma to be found. I don't think any of the students are aware of our presence in the castle, which is good._ There was more to write, and she mentioned how she felt, and the various arguments and fights Allen, Lavi and Kanda had gotten into, how Reever had coped and what Cloud had said about her lessons. Lenalee had been delighted to discover that she had a view of the Care of Magical Creatures paddock from her room, so she could watch Cloud teach the students without revealing herself. She was getting to understand the personalities of some of the students simply from her observations with binoculars.

There was a Gryffindor trio – she assumed they were Gryffindor because they wore red trimmed robes – who seemed to have some sort of ongoing feud with a Slytherin trio – again, she assumed they were Slytherin because their robes had a green trim. The Gryffindors were made up of a redheaded boy, a boy with scruffy black hair and a girl with bushy brown hair. From snatches of descriptions she had heard from various members of staff she assumed that they were Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, although she wasn't sure. The Slytherin trio were all boys – a blonde, somewhat scrawny boy seemed to be in charge and the other two, somewhat larger boys, seemed to be unable to think for themselves. That saddened Lenalee – she hated to see people blindly following someone else because it reminded her too much of how the akuma blindly followed the Noah, who in turn followed the Millennium Earl.

She put her pen down, got changed and brushed her teeth and hair and settled down into bed.

**Sorry it took me so long to update this – I have no excuse other than the fact that I have far too many fanfictions on the go and so I was too lazy to type this up. Hopefully (if I get my plot sorted) the characters should meet properly next chapter when the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang schools arrive.**

**Until then, thank you for all the reviews I have received,**

**Tsari**


	3. The New Schools

**I don't own **_ - Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 3 – The New Schools

"All this staying hidden by day and sneaking around by night is boring!" Lavi complained as they prepared for the evening's excursion. Allen sighed and told him to shut up.

There was a knock on the door and Lenalee opened it, to reveal Dumbledore.

"May I speak with you?" he asked, entering. Reever invited him to sit while Lenalee went to fetch Kanda from the meditation room. Dumbledore waited until they were all assembled before continuing.

"The delegates from Beauxbatons and Durmstrung are arriving on Friday," he said. "I trust it is safe for them to do so?" Cloud nodded.

"We have encountered very few akuma over the past few weeks, none above level 1," she said. Lau Jimin chattered in agreement.

* * *

The time until the new arrivals passed quickly. Their first Defence lesson received mixed comments, with most students horrified at what they had been shown. Hermione was disgusted that he'd been allowed to perform them in a classroom, while Neville had retreated into himself further, now only appearing to actively enjoy Herbology. Their second had only been marginally better, with everyone leaving in a different to state to when they had entered the room, due to the application of the Imperious Curse. Most of the teachers had also begun to talk about their OWLs, despite many protests that they weren't taking them for another year. In Care of Magical Creatures, Professor Nine had begun to follow Hagrid's teaching plan – introducing the class to 'Blast-Ended Skrewts'. She maintained that they were perfectly safe so long as they concentrated and did as they were told at all times.

As such, it came as a great delight when the notices went up about the arrival of the other two schools. Especially when Harry realised that it meant that they got to miss Potions and therefore Snape couldn't poison them, despite his veiled threats.

The evening arrived and the entire school gathered outside to await the newcomers. As they were being jostled around as they attempted to line up as ordered, Hermione nudged Harry.

"What?" he hissed, careful not to draw attention to himself. She pointed towards the forest. In the shadows, he could see movement. Wiping his glasses, he looked more closely. People. How many of them, he couldn't see.

"Wonder who they are," he whispered.

"I don't know," Hermione admitted. "But Professor Nine's with them." As usual, she was correct.

"What you looking at?" Ron said, a little loudly. Hermione shushed him as Snape turned their way.

"Tell you later," she breathed as Professor McGonagall barked at Pavarti to remove her hair ornament.

The discussion then began as to how the schools would be arriving – from the improbable "portkey!" to the impossible "dragon!". The latter did not appear as impossible when something appeared in the sky above the forest. Dennis Creevey's admission of a giant house turned out to be remarkably close to the truth, as a giant carriage landed, pulled by a dozen winged horses. The size of the carriage made far more sense when a woman around the same size as Hagrid emerged, accompanied by around a dozen girls, all in their late teens. Dumbledore greeted the woman – Madame Maxime – politely before the Beauxbatons students and their headmistress headed indoors to warm up after giving Hagrid instructions on how to care for the horses.

After that, the wait for the Durmstrung delegation was short lived before a noise from the lake caught everyone's attention, revealing a boat rising from the depths. The shock of the evening (or so they thought at the time) was the presence of none other than the Bulgarian Seeker, Viktor Krum. Many of the girls started squabbling among themselves as they tried to find something with which he could sign something, and Ron joined them, to the exasperation of Harry and Hermione.

"He's only a Quidditch player," Hermione huffed as they headed back to the Great Hall. The Beauxbatons had settled at the Ravenclaw table and Ron desperately tried to get the attention of the Durmstrungs the moment he had sat down. To his immense disappointment, they elected to sit at the Slytherin table, where Malfoy immediately began to talk to Krum.

"Filch has put out five extra seats," Hermione noted, dragging the boys' attention away from Krum. "Why? There's only two extra people."

"Who cares?" Ron said, going to back to stare at his idol.

Once the students had all seated themselves the staff entered, taking their seats. Last to enter were the headmasters and mistress, when the Beauxbatons students all stood, ignoring laughter from some of the other students, and not taking their seats again until Madame Maxime had sat down. Dumbledore remained standing, presumably to offer a welcome to their guests before the food appeared. He did so, as expected, prompting laughter from a Beauxbatons girl that insisted on still clutching her muffler and earned a glare from Ron, but instead of immediately inviting them to enjoy the food – which remained absent – he continued talking.

"As some of you may have noticed," here he looked directly at Harry and Hermione, "these are not our only guests for the year." Excited whispering broke out in the hall. "In light of recent attacks I have asked a secretive school that specialises in combat magic, to send some students to act as bodyguards for all of us, especially the champions. So, without further ado, may I introduce to you Miss Lenalee Lee, Mr Allen Walker, Mr Lavi Bookman, Mr Kanda Yu and their headmaster, Professor Wenhamm, from Rōzukurosu Academy of Combatant Magic!"

The doors to the Great Hall opened and the five named individuals entered. Sure enough, they were the same people that Harry and Hermione had seen lurking in the Forbidden Forest. Their uniforms looked very much like variants of Professor Nine's. The girl of the group had long hair tied up in bunches, so black it had an almost-green tinge, and violet eyes, and her uniform was comprised of a fitted black jacket with white-silver trimmings and a silver rose cross over her heart, and a very mini skirt, to the appreciation of the boys. She wore thigh-high boots. The redheaded boy – with hair to rival the Weasleys' – had one green eye, the other obscured by an eyepatch, and a green bandana holding back his unruly hair. His uniform consisted of a knee-length jacket, with the same markings as the girl's, that had slits up to his hips, and tight white trousers tucked into calf-high boots. A long orange/brown scarf was wrapped around his neck. Harry spotted some form of holster on his right thigh, though he couldn't tell what it held. The other two boys had similar uniforms, with long coats that reached the floor, again with the same markings. The shorter of the two boys had white hair and grey eyes, and a scar going down his face through his left eye, and wore white gloves. His jackets also seemed to have a hood attached, unlike the final boy. His long hair was tied up in a high ponytail, with strands permitted to fall to frame his face at the front. It was a dark black, almost blue, and his eyes were blue. A sword was slung over his shoulder. The headmaster wore a white jacket – almost like a muggle labcoat – and smart clothes underneath, although he still gave off the impression of being somewhat scruffy. He had blonde hair and pale blue eyes.

"Welcome," Dumbledore said warmly, shaking hands with Professor Wenhamm and showing him to a seat by Professor Nine – of course, they were from the same school. The four students bowed to the headmasters and mistress before heading back and finding seats at the Gryffindor table, opposite Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"You don't mind if we sit here?" the redhead asked, after taking a seat.

"Not at all," Hermione said brightly. Harry could tell that she was bursting with questions that she wanted to ask them. Ron could also tell, apparently, because he elbowed her. "Stop that, Ronald!" she scolded as the other students sat.

The redhead seemed to find it amusing. He seemed about to say something when Dumbledore once again stood and encouraged them to tuck in. The food magically appeared on the plates, as usual, and the students began to devour it. The Rōzukurosu students seemed less interested in eating, and more interested in looking around, especially the white-haired one.

"How about some introductions?" the girl said suddenly. "I'm Lenalee, this is Lavi" the redhead "Kanda" the raven haired one "and Allen" the white haired one.

"Hermione, Harry and Ron," Hermione said, indicating the respective boy as she said their names. Harry smiled at them, glad that they didn't start gushing about his fame, while Ron just grunted, more interested in the strange dish that had appeared near him.

"What's this?" he asked suspiciously.

"Bouillabaisse," Lavi and Hermione answered simultaneously.

"It's French," Hermione continued. "I had some of it last summer when I was on holiday. It's quite nice." Ron shrugged and opted for the safer option of Black Pudding. Hermione ignored the food, even when Ron decided to pile it on her plate himself, in favour of interrogating the four strangers.

"I've never heard of Rōzukurosu Academy of Combatant Magic," she said. "What do you learn, being a combat school?"

Lavi was the one that answered. "Before we get into the serious stuff, how about we get to know each other a litte? You know I'm Lavi, this is Lena" Lenalee "Moyashi-chan" Allen, who spluttered in indignation as he continued to look around "and Yu-chan." Lenalee sighed.

"He means those are the nicknames he has bestowed us with," she said. Glancing at Kanda, she added "it might be better for your health to use the names Professor Dumbledore introduced us with."

"He got BaKanda's name wrong, though," Allen added. "It's Yu Kanda, not Kanda Yu."

"But Yu-chan hates it when people call him by his given name," Lavi added. "Isn't that right, Yu-chan?" Kanda just growled and his hand moved towards his shoulder.

"Kanda!" Lenalee said sharply. "We do _not_ want to see Mugen at the table!" He scowled, but let his hand fall back to his side.

"Mugen?" Harry asked.

"His sword," Allen said, continuing to scan the room as though looking for something.

"How come he did as Lenalee said like that?" Ron muttered to Harry. "D'ya reckon they're-"

"Only a complete idiot disobeys Lena," Lavi said, overhearing him. "One of our teachers is her very protective _scary_ older brother. His punishments are… not an experience anyone in their right mind would want to go through."

"If you're a combat school, where are your weapons?" Hermione asked, bringing the topic back to how it had started. "I can only see Kanda's sword." Lavi laughed.

"Mine's strapped to my leg," he said. "And Lena and Moyashi-chan are… unarmed… specialists."

"Unarmed?" Ron asked incredulously. "What use is that unless you're against muggles?"

Allen smiled and turned to face them properly, apparently finished scanning the room.

"We were chosen because we're the four best fighters in the school, excluding some of the teachers," he said.

"We'll be fine," Lenalee added.

Just then, the girl that had laughed during Dumbledore's speech came over and asked for the Bouillabaisse. Lavi handed it to her and immediately started attempting to flirt in French. She ignored him and walked off. Ron whistled quietly at her retreating back.

"She's a _Veela_!" he hissed.

"Don't be stupid," Hermione said, dismissively.

"I'm serious! They don't make girls like that at Hogwarts!" Ron protested.

"They make them okay here," Harry said absent-mindedly, looking at Cho Chang. Hermione ignored them and finally began to eat her food as she considered what next to ask the Rōzukurosu students.

Once the feast was over, Lavi having answered all of Hermione's questions with vague answers, to her frustration – "we are secretive for a reason, Hermione" – Dumbledore stood.

"I have more announcements to make concerning the Tournament," he said. "But first, Mr Filch, the casket please." The caretaker brought in a casket and opened it, revealing a large goblet that began to spit flames.

"This is the Goblet of Fire," he said. "Anyone wishing to enter is to put their name in here and at the Halloween feast tomorrow the three Champions will be selected. I will personally draw an Age Line to prevent those under the age of 17 from attempting to submit their name.

"An Age Line!" Fred said. He turned to his twin. "An Aging potion will do the trick."

Shortly afterwards, all the students headed off to bed, although the Rōzukurosu students lingered behind, to the confusion of the Gryffindors.

"We need to speak to the Professors," Lenalee explained when Hermione asked.

* * *

Once all the students and most of the staff had left, the Exorcists headed up to the staff table.

"Well?" Cloud asked.

"None of the visiting students are akuma," Allen reported.

"That's a relief," Reever said. The professors agreed with him.

"So tomorrow we will finally get to know which students in particular we will be accompanying?" Allen asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"I shall assign you to your charges after they have all been selected, with the help of my fellow headteachers and Messirs Crouch and Bagman," he informed them. "If you could wait by this side door –" he indicated the one that Allen had used to assess all the students during the Start of Term Feast "– then once the three have been chosen, enter the room and await us. Ms Cloud, would you be able to accompany myself, Reever, Igor, Madame Maxime and the heads of Houses?" She nodded.

"We should probably go and do our rounds now," Allen said. At a nod from Dumbledore the young Exorcists excused themselves.

"With no akuma around, was all this really necessary, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"I suspect that Tom will make a move soon," he said. "The exorcists will be a useful surprise. Especially as the dramatic rise in akuma numbers in the wizarding world has increased significantly since Peter escaped to join his master. I fear our two wars have become connected."

* * *

The next morning, the Exorcists entered the Entrance Hall to see the Weasley twins scuffling on the floor with rather magnificent beards. Lavi found it highly amusing, but followed his companions into the Great Hall after Dumbledore had sent the twins to the infirmary. Hundreds of bats greeted them as the doors swung open.

"Reminds you of home, doesn't it?" Allen commented quietly, referring to the security golems that circled the Black Order's Headquarters.

"Home?" Hermione had joined them.

"We live at the Academy all year round," Lavi explained. "We don't have holidays, per se, but we go on a lot of field trips, which makes up for it."

Harry and Ron caught up with them and they went to find a seat at the Gryffindor table. The subject of potential champions came up as the students gossiped about who had seen who put their names into the Goblet. A girl called Angelina confessed to entering her name, to the obvious delight of Harry. She was obviously a good friend of his.

"Let's go see Hagrid," Harry suggested after breakfast had ended. "Do you want to come?" he added, looking at the exorcists, who politely declined, saying that they had training to do, or their teachers would punish them for slacking off. Hermione asked if she could watch.

"Not this time," Allen said gently. "Go see Hagrid."

Once the three had left, they took a route to the Forest that didn't pass Hagrid's hut to check if any akuma were lurking during the daytime. As usual, the Centaurs appeared to report nothing unusual. The story was the same at the lake, according to the Merpeople, and they soon headed back to their quarters.

* * *

The day passed uneventfully and soon everyone was seated in the Great Hall, awaiting the names of the champions. The exorcists stood by the door, as Dumbledore explained that the Goblet required a few minutes more to make its decision.

"If you are chosen," he said, "please proceed through this door, by the Rōzukurosu Academy students, and wait for further instruction." As he finished speaking, the flames changed colour and spat out a piece of parchment, which he caught.

"The Durmstrung champion is… Viktor Krum!" The world famous Quidditch player passed the exorcists as they heard several people exclaim that it was a foregone conclusion. Another bit of parchment was caught by Dumbledore.

"The champion for Beauxbatons is… Fleur Delacour!" The French girl acknowledged Lenalee as she passed, but completely ignored Lavi's fresh attempt at flirting. The Great Hall filled with anticipation as they awaited the Hogwarts champion. The parchment fluttered into Dumbledore's palm.

"The Hogwarts champion is… Cedric Diggory!" They followed the Hufflepuff into the chamber, awaiting their new orders. None of the Champions seemed nervous, in fact, Fleur and Cedric were beaming whilst Krum's expression seemed very slightly less surly that usual. There was a ruckus in the Great Hall and the exorcists headed for the door, which opened, revealing Harry.

Understandably, they all thought that he was a messenger, until he was formally introduced as the Fourth Champion. Instantly the mood dropped, the foreign students and their headteachers complaining loudly while Kanda sulked in the corner. It soon became apparent that he would be required as an active bodyguard, as opposed to back-up if required.

"Now, now," Barty Crouch said, once the issue had been resolved, with the help of Mad-Eye Moody – whom none of the exorcists trusted, due to his foul aura. "Allow me to explain how the bodyguard system will work. They will meet you at the Great Hall for breakfast, remain with you throughout the day, and leave you at curfew."

"So they'll be in our lessons?" Cedric asked.

"Yes. Now that that is sorted, we need to arrange who will be accompanying who. Miss Lee, Mademoiselle Delacour? Would you agree to being partnered?" They nodded, both having already worked out that it was the logical arrangement, and Lenalee moved to stand next to her charge. "Gentlemen, we thought that you might like to choose your own companion." Cedric was first to react, indicating Lavi, who grinned back. "Mr Diggory and Mr Bookman it is."

Because Harry still appeared to be taking in the fact that he was a champion, Krum pointed to Allen first, deciding against the obviously-annoyed Japanese.

"Mr Krum and Mr Walker, then. And that leaves Mr Potter with Mr Kanda." Mr Crouch's voice startled Harry, who then realised who exactly he had been partnered with and paled slightly. "Now then, return to the Great Hall so that we can commence with the Feast." The champions departed, but a signal from Cloud halted the exorcists.

"Kanda," Reever said. "I know this isn't the outcome you wanted – none of us expected it – but this is important. At least try to get along with Harry."

"Have I ever failed an assignment?" Kanda demanded. "Whatever I thought of it?"

"You are one of our best," Reever conceded. They were keeping up the façade due to the presence of Ludo Bagman, who had not returned to the Great Hall. "Now, go on. Time to get to know your charges."

They returned to the Great Hall and went to sit with their respective champions. Already, the Hall was buzzing with talk of the fourth champion – most of it not favourable. Hermione appeared surprised that Kanda was Harry's guard. What irritated Kanda, though, was the black looks Ron kept shooting Harry, although the only response he gave was to give the redhead a death glare.

The meal couldn't have passed quickly enough in Kanda's opinion, although he could see that his fellow exorcists were enjoying their conversations with their own companions. The moment Harry stood, which was the moment he could because, like Kanda, he wanted to disappear as soon as possible, Kanda also did and escorted them to the Fat Lady.

Hermione timidly bade him goodnight. He ignored her and waited until they were in the Common Room before heading back to April Rose and his quarters, to meditate.

**I have no excuses for this really late update. Or the fact that it's a little shorter than usual. I've had this partially written since before I posted chapter 2 but I was never happy with it, then exams happened and yeah. Sorry (please don't kill me?).**

**I can't promise when the next update will be as I start uni shortly, but I can promise that I won't abandon this story (or any others). However, for those of you that haven't looked at my profile, Rōzukurosu Academy has been put on hiatus for now (sorry – but something had to give and this one is more fun to write and seems to be getting a better reception) but I will return to it someday – hopefully not too far in the distant future – so the updates will no longer alternate as I'll be focusing more on this story.**

**From now on, I'll try and split time between each of the four champions as equally as possible and not focus entirely on Harry and Kanda. I'm not sure if I'll do it as one chapter each, or keep chronological with each chapter swapping PoV every so often. If anyone has a preference, I will try and do that but no promises as I might not like the story flow once I start writing.**

**Thank you for reading (and for waiting, those of you that have been following this since I first put it up).**

**Tsari**


	4. The First Week: Harry and Kanda

**Well, the results of the Poll are in and **_**The Combat School **_**won by a landslide, so here it is. Despite coming a convincing second, I am unable to write both this and **_**Rōzukurosu Academy **_**at the same time, so **_**Rōzukurosu Academy**_** will remain officially on hiatus until I've finished this one, although that doesn't mean it won't get the occasional update if I can think of something to write. For those of you that care about my other stories, **_**Uchiha Itachi**_** came third and so will be updated soon, **_**Legend of the Exorcists **_**and **_**Home**_** both ranked quite low so I'll update them as and when but seeing as they're not as popular I probably won't spend too much time on them until I finish the main three.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _-Man _**or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 4 – The First Week (Harry and Kanda)

Kanda was in a foul mood, so much so that not even Lavi tried to cheer him up for fear of being decapitated. All the members of the Black Order knew that there was nothing they could do to change the situation aside from replacing Kanda with another exorcist, but they also knew that he wouldn't accept that. Now he had his assignment, he would complete it or die (unlikely), even if he hated it.

Kanda's irritation swelled even further when he and his fellow exorcists went down to the Great Hall for breakfast and saw that the only champion not already present was Harry. Glaring at anyone that dared get to close, he went to the Gryffindor table to eat his soba and wait for his illegal champion. People came and went, whispering about the irate samurai as they did so. He watched Allen, Lavi and Lenalee leave with their charges and scowled.

Ron made an appearance, carefully keeping his difference from Kanda, and ate his meal in a sullen silence, ignoring Hermione's angry hissing. If Harry's so-called best friends were present, then why wasn't he? Kanda seethed, glaring at the door as he sipped his green tea. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hermione stand up suddenly and timidly approach him. He ignored her as she sat by him and began to butter some toast.

"Kanda?" she asked once she'd finished. He fixed her with a glare that would send most people running in the opposite direction and she flinched. "I- I don't think Harry's going to come down to breakfast so I was going to take him some toast?" She finished questioningly and Kanda understood that she was seeking his permission to let him not turn up to breakfast. Realising that she was right and that his erstwhile charge was not going appear, he grunted, draining the rest of his drink and standing up, leading the way to the Gryffindor Common Room. Just as they reached the Fat Lady she swung open and the missing champion emerged. He froze at the sight of Kanda but Hermione walked right up to him and thrust the toast into his hands.

"I know you don't want to see Ron so I brought you some food," she said. "Although I think that you really should talk to him soon. Avoiding him is not going to solve anything." Harry shrugged and bit into his breakfast.

"I'm not going to talk to him until he apologises for being a prat," he said venomously. Kanda 'hnned', catching Harry's attention. The Boy Who Lived paled at the glare on his face.

"Oh yeah, I was supposed to meet you at breakfast, wasn't I?" he realised suddenly. "Sorry about that, I forgot," he ended sheepishly.

"Don't do it again," Kanda scolded.

"Shall we go down to the lake?" Hermione interjected. Harry nodded, relieved, and led the way, attempting to ignore his surly bodyguard. He wasn't sure how much help Kanda would be against someone like Voldemort, but his unwelcoming attitude very quickly proved a welcome deterrent for other students that looked like they wanted to say something, most likely a jibe at his new status. Harry was thankful when they reached the lake with no confrontations. Settling by the water edge, he continued to munch on his toast while they watched the Giant Squid basking in the autumn sunshine. Harry was surprised at Kanda's nonchalance involving the massive water-dweller, before realising that it was probably involved in the brief he almost certainly received from Dumbledore.

Realised that he hadn't told Hermione about the events of the anti-chamber, he did so, relieved when she confirmed his hopeful thoughts that she believed him.

"That's one person then," he said, telling her about Ron's reaction the previous night. She sighed.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked. "He's jealous." He looked at her incredulously.

"Jealous? Of what? The fact that I get to make an idiot of myself in front of people from four different schools, not to mention people in the ministry!"

"It's always you that gets the attention – don't interrupt, I know it's not your fault – and Ron's got all those brothers to compete with at home and you're his best friend and you're really famous so he gets shunted to the side and I suppose this is just one time too many…" she trailed off.

"Great," Harry said bitterly. "Tell him-"

"I'm not telling him anything," Hermione interrupted. "Talk to him yourself; it's the only way you're going to sort this out."

"I'm not running around after him!" Harry spat. "Maybe he'll realise I don't enjoy this when I've broken my neck, or-"

"That's not funny," Hermione said quietly. He looked at her. "You know what you need to do as soon as we get back to the castle?"

"Yeah," he said sulkily. "Give Ron a good kick up the-"

"_Write to Sirius_," she interrupted disapprovingly. "Tell him what's happened. He's bound to find out anyway – you're famous and this tournament is famous. It won't stay out of the _Daily Prophet_ for long and I'm sure Sirius is keeping an eye on things somehow. He'll want to hear it from you first." His shoulders sagged as he realised that she was right. How had he not thought of telling Sirius already? Just as he began to worry about getting parchment from his room without being confronted by his fellow Gryffindors – and Ron – she handed him some, and one of her many quills. Shooting her a thankful look, he began to write.

_Dear Sirius,_

_You told me to keep you posted on what's happening at Hogwarts so here goes – I don't know if you've heard, but the Triwizard Tournament's happening this year and on Saturday night I got picked as a fourth champion. I don't know who put my name in the Goblet of Fire, because I didn't. There's also a fourth school who have supplied bodyguards for the champions and mine's a scary Japanese with a sword who goes by the name of Kanda. The other Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory, from Hufflepuff._

_Hope you're okay, and Buckbeak - Harry_

He finished and looked up, allowing Hermione to check that he'd included everything that she thought he should. Suddenly a thought struck him – Sirius was still a criminal on the run and they'd been discussing writing to him in front of a complete stranger who didn't know of his innocence… Kanda noticed his panicked look and snorted.

"I've been briefed," he said. Harry hoped that he meant by Dumbledore and that he therefore knew the truth but Kanda didn't seem inclined to say any more and Harry wasn't going to push it. Mugen was prominent over Kanda's shoulder, after all. Hermione seemed to reach the same conclusion, if her relieved face was anything to go by.

Seeing no need to linger by the lake any longer, Harry headed straight for the Owlery, aware of Hermione and Kanda following him. Having a bodyguard still seemed strange to him. He had fought off Voldemort three times and they still thought that he needed a guard? He highly doubted that Voldemort would be deterred by Kanda – one killing curse and the Japanese would still be dead, sword or no.

They reached the Owlery and he realised a problem when Hedwig flew up to him and he remembered Sirius telling him not to use her again. He turned to Hermione.

"He told me not to use Hedwig. Whose owl am I going to use?" he asked her. She sighed, as if the answer was obvious.

"Ask Ron if you can borrow-"

"I'm not asking him anything," he said flatly.

"Then use a school owl," she said. "Anyone can use them." It was obvious she thought he was being childish, but to his relief she didn't verbally express it. Hermione was the only friend he seemed to have left and the last thing he wanted was to argue with her, because then the only company he would have would be Kanda, and that was almost worse than no company. Why hadn't he been quicker and picked Lavi or Allen before the other champions did? They at least seemed friendly.

With a heavy heart, knowing how she would react, he apologised to Hedwig before selecting a large barn owl to tie his letter too. She flew off with a loud hoot and refused to look at him, even after the barn owl had left and Harry tried to offer her treats. Instead, she clicked her beak loudly and flew out of reach.

"First Ron, now you," Harry said angrily. "_This isn't my fault_."

* * *

While Kanda's presence shielded him from any hurtful remarks, it didn't stop most of the school expressing their opinions in how they acted around him. He'd hoped it would settle down when the school got used to his new status, but the accusing and suspicious looks continued in full force. It appeared that they all thought that he had entered himself, but unlike his own house, the rest of the school did not seem impressed at what they viewed as yet another bid for attention.

The Hufflepuffs had turned remarkably cold towards him, demonstrated in full force one Herbology lesson when Ernie Macmillan and Justin Finch-Fletchley, who were usually perfectly amenable towards him as they worked together, refused to say a single word to him, although they laughed unpleasantly when a Bouncing Bulb that Harry was attempting to re-pot slipped free of his grasp and whacked him in the face. Hermione spent most of the lesson attempting to get the very stubborn Harry and Ron to talk to each other. Both were happy to talk to her, but neither would even look at the other. Kanda seemed to find the behaviour very childish.

Harry had expected some hostility from the usually friendly house, because Cedric was one of the few members of the house that had ever given them any glory, by beating Harry to the snitch in a Quidditch match the previous year, and it obviously appeared to them as though Harry was trying to steal his thunder and reclaim his pride. Even Professor Sprout had appeared distant, but as the Head of Hufflepuff House that was unsurprising.

He was dreading the first Care of Magical Creatures lesson of the week. If Hagrid was teaching it would have been bearable because the large man would definitely take Harry's side, but Professor Nine had proved herself to be a second McGonagall, meaning that he could expect no favouritism from her, nor shielding from the wrath of the Slytherins, which would undoubtedly be out in full force. The only possible blessing was that Kanda's presence was hopefully deter some of the snake house.

This week the class was outside Hagrid's hut and, predictably, Malfoy arrived, flanked by his cronies, familiar sneer fixed firmly in place.

"Oh look boys," he said to Crabbe and Goyle. "It's the champion. Better get your autographs now, after all half the champions have died in the past… How long do you reckon you'll last, Potter? Ten minutes into the first task is my bet." The other Slytherins laughed loudly.

"It's nice to see you have such faith in your classmate," Professor Nine said curtly. The Slytherins quickly stifled their laughter as Lau Jimin chattered angrily at them. "Thank you. Now that everyone is here we can begin." She indicated the large brown crates that contained the monstrosities she had introduced to them as Blast-Ended Skrewts in their second lesson with her.

"Now that I've assessed your abilities," she had said, "we are going to have a class project for the next term. These-" she had indicated a crate full of small ugly creatures "-are Blast-Ended Skrewts. You are going to be caring for them until at least Christmas." Their first lesson was spent trying to feed the stubborn creatures a variety of things – "if you ever get given a creature that you don't know and don't have time to research them these are the various foods you should try them on first". Malfoy, predictably, had shown a large amount of distain and reluctance to work until Professor Nine had informed him that the project and his enthusiasm towards it counted towards a large part of his end-of-year grade and that if he failed he would be made to care for a batch of them until he passed. His eagerness to get it over and done with was almost palatable as he tried to coax the bizarre creatures into eating the various foodstuffs. After they had discovered that the Skrewts were carnivores the creatures had increased in size dramatically. Unfortunately they had also started to kill each other.

"Today," Professor Nine declared, "you will observe that they are getting too large for the crates that they are currently in, so you will need to remove them from the crates, using these leashes to keep them under control, and enlarge the crates before replacing them. As they have not yet been out of the crates, they will also need exercise, so I would advise that as a class you nominate one or two people to cast the spells while the rest of you walk around the paddock with the Skrewts." The Gryffindors and Slytherins looked at each other in disgust before Hermione decided to take charge.

"One Gryffindor, one Slytherin?" she suggested. The Gryffindors nodded but the Slytherins began to protest, purely because it had been suggested by a so-called 'mudblood'.

"That is a sensible suggestion, Miss Granger," Professor Nine said, looking pointedly at the Slytherins. "Do I need to remind you that your ability to work together will greatly influence your grade?" The Slytherins understood the veiled threat and started to talk amongst themselves.

"Daphne," Malfoy said. At the Gryffindor's confused faces he rolled his eyes. "Our spell caster," he explained.

"Hermione," Harry and Ron said at the same time, before glaring at each other. They didn't bother to consult the rest of the class – Hermione was the best at charms and they all knew it.

Grudgingly, the class got to work, looping the leashes around the Skrewts and levitating them out of their crates. Hermione and Daphne got to work enlarging all the numerous crates to the required size while the rest of the class attempted to 'walk' the creatures.

"Kanda, a word," Professor Nine called. Harry had almost forgotten the presence of his silent companion. The Japanese walked over to her and Harry saw that they were deep in conversation, before being yanked forwards by the Skrewt he was supposed to be walking. Apparently Kanda's bodyguard duties didn't include saving him from mad creatures intent on dragging him along the ground during class.

After what seemed like forever the two girls called to their classmates that they were done, before helping them by carrying the crates over to where the Skrewts were and levitating them into the crates. Once Professor Nine was satisfied that all the creatures were securely back in the crates, she dismissed them.

* * *

The rest of the week confirmed Harry's fears that the school's attitude towards him was not going to change. The Hufflepuffs, understandably, thought that he had done it one purpose to steal Cedric's thunder as revenge for the Quidditch match last year. It hurt, but they did have their own champion to support so he knew that he couldn't expect their support. The Slytherins, of course, had always hated him and so were giving their full support to Cedric. Harry had expected nothing else. Disappointingly, the Ravenclaws were also convinced that he had managed to sneak his name into the cup and so were also giving their full support to Cedric. He had hoped that, as a neutral house, they would have given both Hogwarts champions equal support, but apparently that was not to be. Worst of all, though, was Ron's continued cold-shoulder. The last time the entire school had been against him, in his second year, he had had Ron's support. Now he realised just how much support that had been.

His lessons were also suffering, despite Hermione's best efforts. Professor Trelawny was predicting his death with more and more certainly, despite Kanda's quiet scoffs from behind him, and he failed completely at the work involving Summoning Charms, resulting in extra homework. These all paled in comparison to Double Potions at the end of the week. Never pleasant, they were now nothing short of torture, with one and a half hours of the Slytherins and their Head of House determined to punish him for daring to become school champion. Hermione was trying to help, encouraging him to ignore them whilst making sure that he didn't mess up his potion, but there was only so much she could do against the wrath of the snakes.

When they arrived outside the dungeon they discovered the Slytherins already there, and that each and every one of them was wearing a large badge proclaiming in loud red letters the same message:

_Support CEDRIC DIGGORY – _

_the REAL Hogwarts Champion!_

"Like them, Potter?" Malfoy asked loudly, as Harry approached. "And this isn't all they do – look!"

He pressed his badge into his chest, and the message upon it vanished, to be replaced by another one, which glowed green:

_POTTER STINKS_

The Slytherins howled with laughter before pressing their own badges until the message _POTTER STINKS _was shining brightly all around Harry. He felt the heat rise in his face and neck as he glanced at Kanda. The Japanese didn't react. Apparently this didn't warrant bodyguarding, either. He was glad to see that Ron, standing with Seamus and Dean wasn't laughing, although he wasn't making any attempt to stand up for him, either.

"Oh, very funny," Hermione said sarcastically to Pansy Parkinson and her gang of girls, who were all laughing hysterically, "really _witty_."

"Want one, Granger?" said Malfoy, holding out a badge to Hermione. "I've got loads. But don't touch my hand, now. I've just washed it, you see, don't want a Mudblood sliming it up."

Some of the anger Harry had been feeling for the past week seemed to burst through a dam in his chest and he had withdrawn his wand before realising what he was doing. Malfoy smirked and drew his own wand. Three spells were sent flying at once but none of them reached their intended target. Harry's was deflected onto Goyle, another was reflected onto Crabbe and Malfoy's hit Hermione. None of them realised that had happened until they saw a sword glinting in the dungeon's light, aimed at Malfoy's throat.

"Spells in the corridor are forbidden," Kanda said coldly, glaring at the unfortunate Slytherin.

"They cast spells, too!" Malfoy spluttered, trying to edge away from Mugen.

"And they have detention for it," Snape said, emerging from his room. "As do you, for making a champion's bodyguard feel it necessary to draw their weapon." He looked round, taking in the three recipients of the spells. "Goyle, Crabbe, Miss Granger – hospital wing." Harry looked round to see that the two Slytherins were covered in boils and that Hermione's teeth now reached her collar.

"Now then, if everyone else would step inside the classroom and stop time wasting?" The students all filed in in silence, in shock from the events of the corridor. Kanda had used his sword, Malfoy had a detention from Snape, and Snape had sent Hermione to the hospital wing of his own violation.

Once everyone had settled, Snape opened his mouth to speak, but Kanda spoke first.

"Harry Potter is required for the weighing of the wands upstairs this afternoon, and therefore needs to be excused from this lesson." Snape glared at the Rōzukurosu student, who glared back.

"Very well," Snape said. "Weasley will inform you of your detention details later," he said to Harry. With a start, Harry realised that Ron had been the other person to cast a spell at Malfoy. Picking up his stuff, he quickly left the room, followed by Kanda.

"Weighing of the wands?" he asked. Kanda didn't reply, leading the way in silence to a classroom, which he entered without knocking. Harry followed to see all the Headteachers of the four schools in attendance, a photographer and reporter, probably for the _Daily Prophet_, Mr Ollivander, Ludo Bagman, Mr Crouch and his fellow champions and their bodyguards.

**And that's where I'm going to leave it now. The next three chapters will take place in the same time period but follow the other champions and Exorcists. The Weighing of the Wands will be the chapter after that, as all four are present for that bit.**

**If anyone has any suggestions as to what the other champions and their Exorcists might get up to, seeing as JK Rowling has only specified what Harry does, you're more than welcome to leave them in a review or drop a PM, although please don't be disappointed if I don't use it! I have some ideas, but not enough to write a nice length chapter.**

**Hope you enjoyed it,**

**Tsari**


	5. The First Week: Cedric and Lavi

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man _**or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 5 – The First Week (Cedric and Lavi)

The exorcists arrived at the Great Hall and Lavi spotted his charge already sat and having breakfast on the Hufflepuff table. With a cheery greeting, he sat himself down and began helping himself to food. The Hufflepuffs found him intriguing, if yesterday evening was any inclination and he soon found himself once again subjected to questions. Simple ones, like "how old are you" and "do you have a weapon"; there was none as invasive as Hermione's yesterday, but he'd already observed that Hufflepuffs were less interested in knowledge and more interested in being friendly.

"So what are the plans for the day?" he asked Cedric. The boy looked at him and shrugged.

"I thought you'd tell me," he confessed. Lavi laughed and shook his head.

"I'm just your rather chatty shadow," he pointed out. "You go about your daily life and I'll just follow. So, what do you usually do on a fine Sunday morning?"

"Sleep," Cedric laughed. "C'mon – I'll give you a tour of the castle." Lavi readily accepted, despite already knowing it like the back of his hand, including all the trick steps, doors, moving staircases and other things. A student's input would be useful for his records. He might be doing this as an exorcist, but he was still a Bookman and he knew the Old Panda wanted him to record everything he could about the reclusive world of the wizards.

They finished eating and Cedric and his friends stood. The boys had introduced themselves the previous evening as Warren, Dillan, Marvin and David. Their female friend, Ailey, didn't appear to have surfaced yet. Lavi suspected that, as the boys shared a dorm, they had all come down together to find out what was required of Cedric.

As Lavi suspected, the tour took up most of the day. The Hufflepuffs were obviously aware that he'd already had a tour of the school and so were determined to give him the student's view. Lavi didn't mind – the more information he was given, the better, both for his insatiable curiosity and his records. Each classroom was accompanied by a lengthy lesson about the teacher that taught in there, what the subject was and was of course infused with their own personal views. For example:

"This is the Transfiguration classroom," Cedric began.

"Transfiguration's taught by Professor McGonagall – that's the stern one. She doesn't take any nonsense from anyone, and that includes the Gryffindors-"

"She's their head of house," Dillan interrupted Warren.

"At the moment she's finally teaching us how to transfigure animals into furniture and other things like it," David interjected.

"She demonstrated it in our first ever lesson by turning her desk into a pig and back again," Marvin explained. "We've wanted to learn how to ever since but it's only now that we're doing our NEWTs that she's finally showing us."

NEWTs – Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, Lavi remembered.

"What NEWTs are you doing; you must be in your final year, right?" Cedric asked, eager to learn more about his new companion.

"Rōzukurosu Academy doesn't follow the normal wizarding syllabus," Lavi explained. "We don't take exams. Our prowess is judged by how well we perform on field trips – and that includes this one. Lena, Moyashi-chan, Yu-chan and I are being assessed on our ability to keep you guys safe. Don't worry," he added at the slightly alarmed looks on their faces. "We're the best in the school – if our teachers didn't think we were capable of keeping you unharmed then they wouldn't have chosen us."

"You do the same subjects as us though, right?" David asked. Lavi shrugged.

"Potions, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmacy and our Combat lessons are compulsory. Those of us wanting extra work can also do Transfiguration, Charms, History of Magic and Runes. As you can probably guess, not many chose the extra work!" he laughed.

"How do you gets jobs after graduating if you don't take exams, or half the subjects that we do?" Cedric asked, confused. Lavi shrugged.

"Bodyguards, mainly. We specialise in combat magic – we're an elite school that accepts very few students. At present there are only eleven Combat students in the entire school and nine teachers. There are lots of other students who are unable to study true Combat magic, but they learn basic defensive spells – for them all the subjects are compulsory, except Combat. They do take exams and can get conventional jobs."

"So which classes do you take?" Marvin asked curiously. Lavi laughed. "All of them. You never know when the knowledge can come in handy!" He smiled at them, visible eye glinting with something – humour, perhaps.

The Hufflepuffs looked at each other. _Ravenclaw_, they all thought. Definitely a Ravenclaw.

The tour finished shortly afterwards and they headed back to the Great Hall to grab something to eat for lunch and meeting up with Ailey.

"I should probably finish that assignment for Snape," Cedric muttered after they had eaten. The others agreed, pointing out that they hadn't done anything for it yet either, so they returned to the Common Room to grab quills and parchment before heading off to the library. Lavi's single eye lit up at all the books and he excused himself to explore once his charge was settled.

"I'll stay in earshot," he promised. "I just want to look at some of the books." Cedric nodded, opening a potions book and starting to write, comparing findings with his five friends quietly.

Lavi was in heaven. Books everywhere, all full of information about the wizarding world. He had a quiet word with Madam Pince and discovered that he and the other exorcists had permission to take out up to 5 books at a time, and had full access of the Restricted Section, although he was warned not to make that obvious as the Hogwarts students needed permission slips. Lavi thanked her profusely before making his way to the section of books describing the history of the wizarding world, right back to their accounts of Merlin in Camelot. He selected the five thickest books that he could find and checked them out before returning to Cedric's table and immersing himself in them. The seven of them stayed there for some time, until Madam Pince reminded them that dinner was shortly, where they packed up the books and headed straight to eat.

* * *

Over the next few days Cedric attempted to adjust to being the new school champion – one of them, he corrected, spying his fellow Seeker walking around and trying to remain innocuous – a failed attempt as his already celebrity status meant that he was guaranteed to turn heads wherever he went.

Of course, his own house had celebrated loudly when he had been selected, and he was still being treated as a hero because of it. He noticed their attitudes towards Harry and inwardly sighed. He'd asked them not to be too harsh to him – he'd seen Harry's face when he'd entered the room, and his desperation not to be a champion – but his house largely ignored his request (and Harry).

The Slytherins made it clear that they were behind him completely and utterly, which surprised him – Slytherins always looked down on Hufflepuffs – until he realised that they had to either support him or Harry, and despite what the snakes thought of Hufflepuff, they despised Gryffindors, especially Harry.

The biggest disappointment was Ravenclaw. They had no natural bias – no champion of their own and no house rivalries to speak of, but yet they still shunned Harry. This saddened Cedric, but there was nothing he could do except accept the praise he was given and all the good-luck tokens he received. It was a shock when he was asked to sign some girls' bags, and his friends congratulating him on becoming a school celebrity made him feel even more estranged from the rest of the school.

Lavi didn't treat him like he was any different to anyone else, though, and for that he was grateful. He might not know the red-head very well but first impressions had shown him to be a cheerful sort and so far they were proving accurate. He was very glad that he had chosen him as his bodyguard. When he saw Kanda shadowing Harry he felt sorry for the younger boy – the Japanese never looked happy, never seemed to speak or even smile – but glad that he had managed to become friends with his own guard.

* * *

The class that currently interested Cedric the most was Care of Magical Creatures. Professor Nine was a capable teacher and so he had high hopes of achieving a decent grade – something he had been dubious about when Hagrid had taken over from Professor Kettleburn the previous year. There were crates of _things_ in the corner of the paddock closest to Hagrid's hut, but when questioned Professor Nine explained that they were a fourth-year project Professor Hagrid had created known as Blast-Ended Skrewts and not to worry, they would not feature in their exams. Cedric was glad he wasn't a fourth-year any more – they didn't look particularly pleasant.

His lessons mainly consisted of sitting in the outdoor classroom and sketching various magical creatures and learning about their various properties and how dangerous they were. However, it appeared that this week's lesson would be different, as the stumps they usually used for seats and tables were nowhere to be seen.

"Today we are going to be taking a little venture into the Forbidden Forest," Professor Nine informed them. "As you are no doubt aware, it is a dangerous place and I will not tolerate any disobedience. We will be sticking to the safer paths of the forest and meeting with the proud centaurs, who have agreed to talk to you. Note-taking whilst in their presence is forbidden, but I expect a write-up on their culture and lifestyle, and your own observations about the species to be handed in this time next week. Am I understood?"

The sixth-years nodded and they followed her into the eternally-gloomy forest. On their way to the meeting place with the centaurs she pointed out any creatures that they saw and would occasionally pick on someone to recite facts about them if they had covered it in class. They were met by a centaur that introduced himself as Magorian who quickly launched into a lengthy description of centaurs, although Cedric quickly noticed that he was holding several key points back – suggesting that he was not altogether comfortable with spilling all the secrets of his race. During the talk, he saw Professor Nine draw Lavi back into the shadows but ignored it as he concentrated on memorising as much as he could for his assignment.

* * *

"What did Professor Nine want?" Cedric asked Lavi as they walked back to the castle. He smiled.

"All the champions are required to attend a ceremony-type thing this Friday straight after lunch," he explained. "If I recall correctly, you're free then." Cedric nodded, inwardly groaning. He was planning on doing his homework in that free double period and Lavi knew it. "It doesn't sound like it'll take too long – something about weighing of the wands, followed by photographs for the _Daily Prophet _and potentially some interviews," the red-head assured him. "But I'd get some work done before then, just in case it goes on longer than I'm anticipating."

Lavi was a godsend, Cedric decided. He didn't think the bodyguards were supposed to help them with their work and organisation but Lavi did so anyway. After realising that Lavi followed different syllabuses to Hogwarts he had discovered that a great way to make sure he understood what he was doing was to explain it to his willing audience. Lavi also seemed to have a knack for understanding everything the first time he heard it, and so the lessons he had attended with Lavi also in meant that if he was stuck with something Lavi would often explain it patiently until he, too, understood it. Only theories, though. He never saw Lavi use a wand, or even knew if he owned one. After some begging by his friends, Lavi had shown them his weapon – a tiny hammer strapped to his leg. It didn't look like much, but Cedric suspected that it was far more powerful than it appeared.

* * *

The rest of the week passed quickly as Cedric slowly adjusted to being hero-worshiped, particularly by the younger years and his own house, turning to Lavi for some normal conversation when it got too much for him. His friends gradually seemed to realise that he didn't like all the attention and toned down their own appreciation, now and then resorting to what he was sure were supposed to be confidence-boosters:

"Well you know you're better than Potter – you've beaten him before after all."

"That Fleur girl looks like an airhead to me – you don't need to worry about her."

"Krum's good at nothing except Quidditch – he's no threat."

"Hey, at least you get to skip the end-of-year exams!"

He appreciated the effort, but for every negative comment they made about his opponents he became less sure. The Goblet wouldn't have picked them if they were duds. His friends meant well, but all they were doing was reminding him that he was up against powerful wizards, and witch. Even Harry wouldn't be a push-over.

Friday lunch drew to a close and Lavi led him straight to the correct room, knocking and entering. They were third to arrive – the two foreign students were already there, along with their bodyguards. He spotted Rita Skeeter in the corner and sighed inwardly. He'd read enough of the _Daily Prophet _to know that she liked to put a derogatory spin on people she didn't like, or if they said something she didn't like. He hoped he didn't have to have an interview with her.

The door opened some five minutes later and Kanda strode in, followed by Harry, the youngest champion. Cedric wondered which lesson he was missing.

**And this chapter is finishing here.**

**Wow, two updates in two days – you lucky people! Don't expect this to be a common thing, or to ever happen again – I do have other commitments (like that 2500 word essay I'm supposed to be writing at the moment) but they've lessened slightly at the moment so you may get another update relatively soon.**

**A few notes on this chapter – I may have deviated slightly from canon with Cedric's personality, but I'm attempting to mush the book-Cedric and the film-Cedric, who are more than slightly different, and this is the personality I've come up with. As for his taking Care of Magical Creatures – it's an easy class for me to write and allows me to include the DGM cast more fluidly. Charms is the only class that it's confirmed that he took to N.E.W.T so I'm allowed a bit of fanfic licence with this. As for his friends – Warren, Marvin, David, Dillan and Ailey – they are not entirely OCs. There are no names given for the friends that it is mentioned Cedric has, both in the book and film, only that there are 4 black haired boys and 1 blonde girl, so I made some up.**

**The classes that Lavi mentions are a mixture of a play on what the Exorcists actually do, and a play on the fact that as 'magical' warriors there are skills that are required (knowledge of plants, poisons etc.) If people are interested I'll put up a list of which General/Order Member 'teaches' which 'subject', as far as the magical community is concerned. (The students are all the Exorcists I've decided are in the Order at this time [slightly AU], bar Bookman, who is a 'teacher'; the 'other students' are the Finders, for those of you that didn't work it out).**

**Does anyone have any ideas as to what Fleur and Krum get up to when our Hogwarts champions are in lessons, or even in their free time? Ideas are welcome :D**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Tsari**


	6. The First Week: Krum and Allen

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man _**or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 6 – The First Week (Krum and Allen)

Before he was due in the Great Hall, Allen darted down to the kitchens where the house elves had prepared a magnificent breakfast for him. He fell upon the food in delight and made quick work of it. Once finished, he thanked the elves profusely for the meal before leaving them and re-joining his fellow exorcists on their way to meet with their charges.

Entering the Hall, he spotted Krum sat once again on the Slytherin table and went to join him.

"Hello!" he beamed as he helped himself to his second breakfast – this one 'normal' sized as far as the majority of the human population were concerned.

"Hello," Krum replied, glancing across at his guard as he continued to eat. On the other side of him, one Draco Malfoy was glaring at Allen, suspecting that he wasn't a pureblood. Allen noticed the glare but chose to avoid it, instead politely asking Krum what plans he had for the day. The Quidditch player shrugged, obviously having not thought about it.

"Allow us to give you a tour of the school," Malfoy said. Krum shrugged again.

"If you vish," he said, continuing to eat. The Slytherin knew better than to try and get rid of the suspect-blood; he was there to protect Krum, despite his feeble appearance. Once they had all finished eating, Malfoy and his two companions – Crabbe and Goyle – led them out of the Great Hall and down into the dungeons.

After touring the Slytherin's domain, Malfoy turned to Allen and asked him.

"Not that it matters, but who were your parents?" he asked. "I don't recognise the name Walker." Allen shrugged.

"I have no idea. I've been an orphan for as long as I can remember. Walker's the name of the man that took me in." Malfoy frowned, obviously not expecting that answer. Now he had no way of knowing the blood status of Krum's companion for the year.

"I am curious about your school," Krum confessed as they left the dungeons and headed up the stairs, towards the majority of the classrooms. "Vhat are the grounds like, and do you play Kvidditch?"

Allen was glad that his brief had included information on the popular sport.

"We don't have a Quidditch pitch," he said. "We live in a large, gothic-style castle on top of a cliff. The only grounds we have are covered in a large forest, very much like the Forest here in that it is full of dangerous creatures."

"Are you allowed in it?" Malfoy asked.

"Well we can hardly train to kill just by sparring with each other," Allen smiled. "The dangerous creatures are a good way to test our skills. But the teachers don't let us out there until they're confident in our abilities to at least stay alive."

"Kill?" Krum asked. Allen looked at him.

"Wars happen," he pointed out. "You've got to be able to take a life if you find yourself in a kill or be killed situation. But don't worry – while I'm here you won't need to kill anyone because I'll do it for you, if necessary."

"You're willing to kill? Do they teach you to be monsters at your school?" Malfoy asked, his voice slightly higher than usual.

"I don't enjoy it!" Allen defended hastily. "And they train us to survive. Sometimes your survival means something else's death." The students all looked relieved that he had said some_thing_, not some_one_.

"How do you fight?" Krum asked.

"Hand to hand, mainly," Allen said. "But I can transform my left arm into a sword if I need to."

"Human transformation?" Malfoy asked. "We haven't been taught that, yet. That's NEWT stuff. How can you know it when you're the same age as me?"

"I'm older than you," Allen corrected. "And it's my special… ability. The elite students at Rōzukurosu Academy all have unique abilities that lends us to be able to fight. Most students' abilities are tied to a weapon, but I'm different. My ability is linked directly to my body."

Krum looked very interested.

"Vhat are your companions'?" he asked.

"Kanda's is linked to his sword, which you probably noticed. He doesn't believe in hiding his weapon. Lavi's is linked to a hammer and Lenalee's is linked to her boots," Allen explained. "Oh, and watch out for Lau Jimin," he grinned wickedly, allowing 'Black Allen' to surface for a moment. "He's not the innocent monkey you think he is."

"Lau Jimin? Oh yes, Professor Nine is a teacher at your school normally, is she not?" Malfoy asked. "No wonder she taught us to kill those gnomes."

"She's a very capable teacher," Allen said. "You'll learn a lot." He didn't mention that not all of it would be relevant to the course.

"If you haff no Kvidditch pitch, do you not play Kvidditch?" Krum asked, returning to an earlier point.

"We don't have time for matches," Allen sighed. "We're always working. No rest for the wicked!" Again, he grinned wickedly.

"No free time at all?" Malfoy asked. "What about weekends?"

"No days off. Except Sunday morning, where we have to attend Mass," Allen said. "Unless we're on a field trip at the time."

"Vhat do these 'field trips' of yours involve?" Krum asked.

"Body-guarding. Killing dangerous creatures that are threatening settlements. If we're lucky we might get one scouting out a possible new student," Allen shrugged. "This is a field trip for me. I can't tell you how glad I am to be missing Sunday Mass," he laughed.

"That vould driffe me mad," Krum commented. "No Kvidditch? I am glad I do not go to your school."

"Father always wanted me to go to Durmstrang," Malfoy said, looking at Krum. "Mother overrode him, though, and had me sent here." Krum nodded absent-mindedly.

"It is a good school," he said. "Not as nice a place as Hogwarts, perhaps, but we haff bigger grounds. Even if ve are not able to enjoy them in the vinter. Professor Karkaroff, he likes his favourites, but if you are not a favourite he makes life hard."

"You're one of his favourites though, aren't you?" Malfoy commented. "You must be!"

"Only vonce I was accepted into the Bulgarian Kvidditch team. Before that, he did not think I vas vorth his time," Krum admitted. Malfoy looked shocked. "He had good reason to. I vas not good at my classes vhen I vas younger."

"But you're really good now, right?" Malfoy asked. Allen inwardly laughed at the obvious sucking up.

"I hope I am good enough to do myself proud in the Tournament," Krum said. International Quidditch player or not, he was humble and Allen immediately found himself liking him. "Now, vhere is Hogvarts' Kvidditch pitch?"

* * *

Krum had had plenty of practice with dealing with fame, so the numerous giggling girls and star-struck boys that seemed to follow him everywhere he went was nothing he was unable to ignore. He largely ignored his school mates, too, although Professor Karkaroff was a different story. His High Master was insistent and he knew better than to ignore him, for fear of retribution. He had been very impressed with the Hogwarts castle – it was far grander than he was used to and the grounds were very different, albeit a lot smaller than those of Durmstrang. The lake with its Giant Squid was wonderful and he often dived off the boat for a swim, not minding the relative cold.

Once he'd managed to get rid of his Slytherin shadows he had taken Allen to the ship to give him a brief tour. Karkaroff hadn't seemed too pleased, but as Allen would be accompanying him for the rest of the year, he had accepted that it was necessary. The boat was suitably grand for a year's accommodation and Allen had been suitably impressed. When he had inquired as to how the Rōzukurosu students had arrived at Hogwarts the question had been subtly ignored as Allen had started explaining about underground rivers in their castle and how that was the old method of transportation. Krum had taken the hint and stopped asking. All the schools had their secrets, after all.

It was his first lesson since he had been chosen as Durmstrang champion and it was strange to have the young white-haired boy sitting next to him. Professor Karkaroff began the lesson by once again congratulating Krum and pulling him up to the front just on the off chance that his classmates didn't know who he was by that time. Once that was done and he was permitted to sit back down, Karkaroff began to talk.

"This year's lessons will be conducted in English," he began, "in order to not let our… guest… feel isolated." Here he looked towards Allen, who smiled back at him in what was probably intended as a grateful smile, but to Krum it looked fake. "Today we will be discussing something that I feel is particularly apt considering our current location and the other people. The nature of curse scars." Krum noticed Allen stiffen slightly and his smile appeared to falter for a fraction of a second. "The most famous curse scar to date is, of course, that which Harry Potter-" the man's face twisted slightly, no doubt in memory of the young boy's selection for the Tournament "-received as a reminder of the Dark Lord's attack." No-one was taking notes, but Karkaroff didn't seem to mind.

"Curse scars are implemented in two ways. The first way is when a curse goes wrong, for whatever reason, and the intended victim instead gains a defining mark. This can occur by a mis-casting of the spell, or if the spell is blocked in a way that the caster did not expect. Now, it is not known how Harry Potter received his scar instead of being killed, as the Dark Lord was well-practised in performing the Killing Curse and there is no known defence against it. The only possibility is that something unexpected occurred, but what we have no idea.

"The other variety is one that is intentionally placed by the caster. These curse scars can then be used to control your victim's actions, usually only in one aspect of their life but more powerful ones can mentally cripple them. Curse scars do not have to be physical, the majority of them are mental afflictions, often as a result of extended exposure to the Cruciatus Curse or similar…"

Krum let his High Master's voice fade out as he glanced at Allen, noticing that he was determinedly looking round for possible threats and not meeting the eyes of anyone in the room.

"… Physical curse scars, no matter what the cause, often stand out from other scars," Karkaroff continued. "Most scars fade to white once they have healed to their fullest extent. However, a curse scar never loses its violent red colour, and can also start to bleed at any time, particularly if provoked by a physical attack or as an after-shock of the curse." At this point Krum noticed one of Allen's gloved hands reach up to touch his left eye. Curious, he glanced across and noticed, for the first time, the blood red scar that travelled down the left side of his face. Allen had a curse scar? That was interesting. Looking back at his teacher, he noticed that Karkaroff had also noticed the slight movement. In fact, it would not have surprised Krum if he had already known about it before the lesson had begun.

As soon as the lesson ended, Krum left the room, quickly followed by Allen, who seemed relieved that it was over.

"Do you vant to talk about it?" Krum asked him. Allen shrugged.

"I was young and stupid," he said. "A dark wizard took advantage of that. Don't worry – it doesn't lessen my ability to protect you." Krum could have sworn he heard him mutter "in fact it makes it easier" but didn't push it.

* * *

The rest of the week passed fairly quickly. A teacher Krum found out to be Professor Nine spoke to Allen quietly at one point while they were walking down to the Quidditch pitch – Krum was eager to fly and, having discovered that Allen didn't know how, had decided that the younger boy needed to learn. Once the Professor left them, Allen explained that they had an appointment in a certain classroom that Friday afternoon.

"Vill you be able to find it?" Krum asked, having been informed in passing by Lenalee that Allen had a terrible sense of direction.

"Tim will show us the way," Allen shrugged nonchalantly. Ah yes, Krum had been introduced to the snitch-like creature Allen insisted on calling a golem ("his name is Timcanpy!"). Apparently Rōzukurosu Academy did not allow regular pets; each elite student was apparently given a 'golem' when they began studies at the school.

Arriving at the Quidditch pitch, Krum was pleased to note that it was devoid of any of his adoring fans, or anyone at all for that matter. Leaving Allen behind on the ground, he mounted his broomstick and shot off up into the sky. Looking down, he smiled at the look of amazement on Allen's face.

Once he had satisfied his immediate need to fly, he touched down and began the long task of teaching Allen the basics. While not a particularly fast learner – he didn't seem too keen to put all his trust in "a wooden stick" – he did prove to have superb balance and once Krum had convinced him that he was safe, he proved to be a natural in the air.

"I thought you had never flown before," Krum commented as they flew side by side around the pitch a few times.

"Not on a broom!" Allen corrected. "Lenalee's quite adept at flying without one due to her ability and sometimes she takes someone else along for the ride."

"How?" Krum couldn't imagine the slender young lady managing to pick anyone up and fly with them, even someone as small as Allen.

"She's stronger than she looks!" Allen assured him, suddenly deciding to do a loop the loop. "Urgh," he went green. "I'm not doing that again. Should have remembered I don't like going too fast in the air." Krum noticed that, although a gloved hand had flown to his hand as nausea had risen, he was still perfectly balanced.

"You haff good balance," he commented.

"I worked in a circus before I was brought to Rōzukurosu," Allen informed him. "I can hardly be expected to walk a tightrope without a good sense of balance!" A circus with tightropes? Those were only really found in muggle society. Allen intrigued Krum with his muggle-like knowledge and sayings, despite being a wizard.

* * *

The rest of the week passed quickly. When not in lessons, Krum spent most of it at the Quidditch pitch with Allen, teaching him new flying techniques. With his build and balance, he would be perfect for a Seeker.

The other things that occupied his time was visiting Hogwarts' impressive library. Krum didn't like to read too much – he preferred the outdoors – but there was one attraction that kept him going back. A certain bushy-haired young lady that he vaguely recalled being in the top box at the Quidditch World Cup. She was often accompanied by none other than Harry Potter, one of his fellow champions, and by default the brooding Japanese that Allen seemed to have such a rivalry with, according to the glares they sent each other and Allen's own words.

Harry intrigued Krum. He was famous the world over for defeating the Dark Lord, but he didn't seem to enjoy any of his fame. Instead, he appeared to shy away from it. Krum had seen his face when he had entered the anti-chamber. There was no way the young boy had entered himself, no matter what Karkaroff said. There was no reason for a boy who so obviously hated fame to purposefully try and put himself in the limelight. How did Krum know he hated fame? Because that was one thing they had in common and, as much as he hated all the stares, Harry seemed to hate it more.

Thoughts flickering to the other champions, he realised that he knew very little about them. Fleur was obviously at least part-Veela – after the World Cup there was no way he'd miss the connection – but as to her personality or abilities he had no clue. He knew even less about Cedric as the young man had no fame to his name, or even any remarkable features. He'd heard mention that the young man was a remarkable Seeker, and he was obviously more popular than Harry at the moment within the school, but other than that he knew nothing.

Friday afternoon came and, true to Allen's word, the snitch-golem ("Timcanpy!") led them unerringly to a classroom that already contained the Headmasters and Mistress, Professor Nine, Fleur and Lenalee, and a woman known to him as Rita Skeeter, _Daily Prophet_ reporter, who was accompanied by a man with a camera. More publicity. Wonderful.

Cedric and Lavi entered shortly afterwards, obviously having come straight from lunch. There was then a bit of a wait, which the three present Rōzukurosu students used as an opportunity to chat, before Harry and a seething Kanda appeared.

**I'm sure you know the drill by now. I finish this chapter here (like the previous two and the next one) before I cover the Wand Weighing in the chapter after that. I've now done a chapter plan and I **_**think**_** (this may change, depending on how I write later chapters involving the champions' 'down time', and if some chapters end up containing too much stuff) there will be a total of 22.**

**But the end's a long way off yet, so let's not worry about that. I hope you liked my characterisation of Krum; he's shown to be a quiet, brooding type so I think he's more observant than some people give him credit for. A note about Krum and Fleur's accents: I'm going to attempt to mash the book written accents, the film accents, and my own headcanon together here. Thus, Krum replaces 'w's with 'v's, and long 'v's with 'ff's (although I'm not going to do this for every word otherwise you might not be able to tell what he's saying), and Fleur throws in the occasional French word, and replaces 'th' with 'z' (I know Fleur doesn't say anything so far in this fic but I thought I may as well deal with both the accents at once).**

**Thanks to those of you that reviewed with ideas (more are still welcome). Those of you with accounts I tried (and will continue to try) to respond to all of you in a PM. For 'Guest's, look out in the A/Ns for your replies. If I get a common query I'll also answer it in an A/N.**

**There was only one 'Guest' this week:**

_Hello_**: I'm glad you like it, and as you can see, this is the next update!**

**Thanks for reading**

**Tsari**


	7. The First Week: Fleur and Lenalee

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man _**or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 7 – The First Week (Fleur and Lenalee)

Lenalee entered the hall with her fellow Exorcists and immediately spied Fleur eating breakfast at the Ravenclaw table, surrounded by admiring Beauxbatons students and the occasional curious Ravenclaw. Politely seating herself next to Fleur, she smiled at all the girls and began to eat.

"Lenalee, _oui_?" Fleur asked between mouthfuls.

"That's me!" Lenalee beamed. "I hope we can be friends?" The silver-haired girl smiled back at her.

"I do not like your companion, ze redhead," Fleur commented. "'e is too, what is ze word, flirty?" Lenalee sighed.

"I'm sorry about him," she said. "He drives me wild sometimes – all the boys do." Fleur grinned.

"Zat is boys for you," she pointed out. "It is why my _maman _sent me to a girls-only school. I did not wish to attend 'Ogwarts for zis reason."

"Oh, they're okay when you get to know them," Lenalee said. "I didn't have a choice – there are only two girls, including myself, that attend my school. It's primarily male because people think girls can't fight." Fleur rolled her eyes dramatically and they both laughed, joined by the girls that had been listening. The nearby Ravenclaw males looked away.

"'Ow do you fight?" the girl sat the other side of Fleur asked curiously. "Do you 'ave a weapon, or..?"

Lenalee smiled at her.

"I'm an unarmed specialist – I prefer to kick my opponents into submission!" The girls all laughed again.

"Zis is my little sister, Gabrielle," Fleur introduced the younger girl.

"Pleased to meet you," Lenalee said.

"Ze 'onour is all mine," Gabrielle replied politely. "I am eight."

"I'm sixteen," Lenalee said. "I thought only Beauxbatons students aged seventeen and older had come?"

"Madame Maxime sent for Gabrielle last night, when I was confirmed champion," Fleur explained. "She wanted me to 'ave some extra support."

"That was very kind of your headmistress," Lenalee said. Fleur nodded.

"Madame Maxime is very good to us," she acknowledged.

"I cannot wait to see my _soeur _compete!" Gabrielle said. Lenalee found her enthusiasm adorable and infectious.

"Well, I will do my best to make sure no-one stops her," she assured the girl. "It's what I'm here for, after all."

"Shall we explore ze grounds?" Fleur asked, having finished eating. "I am sure zey gave you a tour when you arrived, _oui_?" Lenalee smiled.

"Of course," she said. "In return, you simply must show me your carriage; it looks beautiful!"

"It is," Fleur agreed. "We 'ave a deal."

They left the Hall and the French girls wrapped themselves up warmly in their cloaks before stepping out.

"It is much warmer in France at zis time of year," Fleur explained. "Scotland is so cold!"

"It is, rather, isn't it?" Lenalee agreed, wishing she had more to cover her legs than her mini-skirt and boots. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible as it could restrict her movement if she needed to fight.

"Do you not require anozzer layer?" Fleur asked, having noticed her barely-covered legs. "Zose boots cannot be too warm."

"They're not," Lenalee admitted. "But I need the freedom of movement so I can't cover them up any more than I already have." Fleur winced in sympathy.

"Let's spend only a little time outside, zen. I do not wish my protector to get ill."

Lenalee agreed, and proceeded to lead her company of French girls around the immediate grounds, pointing out things such as the Forbidden Forest, which she warned Fleur against "it's my job to protect you and it won't be very easy in there; it's full of dangerous things", the Quidditch stadium which Fleur showed little interest in, and the courtyard, which Fleur dismissed "our palace 'as several and they are all much more beautiful zan zis one".

Once they were satisfied with their whirlwind tour, and wanted to get out of the cold, Fleur led the way to the pastel blue carriage and entered, helping her little sister up the large steps. Lenalee's eyes widened as she jumped up into it (without the help of Dark Boots – she could manage a small jump like that without the help of her Innocence). The inside was massive and decorated with beautiful statues. Elegant tapestries lined the walls and there were several large couches in front of tables.

"Zis is our common room for ze year," Fleur explained, before leading Lenalee into another room, this one filled with beds. "We are all sleeping in here. At Beauxbatons we all 'ave our own rooms but zese slightly cramped conditions are worth ze 'onour of competing in ze Tournament." Lenalee liked the girl. She seemed aloof to begin with, and was certainly used to upper-class living, but she was friendly enough and very considerate of others.

Fleur led Lenalee back into the common room and through another door. This room was obviously a classroom, as it was lined with desks and only slightly-padded chairs. Fleur indicated another door at the back of the classroom.

"Zat is Madame Maxime's office and private living space. We do not go in zere wizzout her permission." She let Lenalee gape at the impressive sights a little longer before leading her back to the common room and sitting, Gabrielle on one side of her, and inviting Lenalee to sit on her other side, which the Chinese girl accepted.

"Now zen," Fleur said. "You must tell us about Rōzukurosu Academy. What is it like? Is it a _grande_ castle like 'Ogwarts or an elegant palace like Beauxbatons? Please, tell."

So Lenalee spoke. She spoke about the tall, gloomy castle on top of a cliff near London, without giving away its location, and the bats that flew around the entranceway. The Gatekeeper, who called himself Ares Teena Dloe Gynosan P. Ruporson Gear Amadeus 5th, that never let anyone in without express permission from the senior teachers. She told her rapt audience about the castle's inside guardian, Hevlaska, who looked after their weapons until they were ready to use them and tested potential new students to see if they had the abilities required. She described their bedrooms – small rooms which they were permitted to decorate however they wished; there were no rules.

At prompting from Fleur, she then described their teachers – Professor Nine, with the monkey that never left her side, Professor Tiedoll, a kind soul who wanted nothing more than to love all his students as his own children, Professor Sokalo, completely insane and determined to transform them all into unbeatable fighters, Professor Bookman, who put great emphasis on learning the deeds of the past so that they might not repeat them again, Professor Lee, her overprotective brother with a habit of creating dangerous things, Professor Wenhamm, their long-suffering headteacher who had to keep all the other teachers in line. Professor Bak, who constantly argued with her brother, and his assistant Professor Marian, who never turned up to lessons unless forced to, Professor Galmar, who struggled to impress the importance of basic knowledge into their heads, and Professor Zu, who thought it vital they knew how to survive in the wild.

"It sounds like a mysterious place. 'Ow do zey expect you to learn in such a dark castle?" Fleur wanted to know.

"We don't spend much time in the castle. A lot of our learning takes place on field trips," Lenalee explained. "And it sounds dark, but it's our home and you'll be amazed how quickly it doesn't seem so dark after all."

* * *

Fleur was delighted with her new companion. She found Lenalee to be a lovely, kind girl that was willing to look beyond the exterior she had shown to the other schools. The other Rozukurosu students she was unsure of. Lavi's attempts at flirting with her had been atrocious and had earned him an immediate placement under the list of boys to avoid. The white-haired one – Allen – seemed charming, with his ever-present smile and polite exterior, and Lenalee had been full of praise for the youngest of the boys. The Japanese – Kanda – was interesting. He was obviously not a boy to cross, or even attempt to communicate with, again according to Lenalee, but there was something… different… about him that she couldn't place her finger on. She briefly thought about bringing this up with Lenalee, but didn't want to start gossiping about the young man behind his back – she had a wary respect for the sword slung over his back, which she was certain he knew how to use.

Pushing the matter to the back of her mind, she turned her thoughts to her fellow Champions – all boys, she thought with a sigh. Starting with the most famous – the Boy Who Lived – she realised that not much was known about his abilities. He was young. Too young to be in the competition. Whether he had entered himself was a quandary she had not yet solved. Either his hubris made him certain that he would win and he encouraged an older student to enter his name, or he was powerful enough to trick the Goblet – no mean feat, she observed. Alternatively, he was telling the truth and had no idea how his name had ended up in the Goblet, but she suspected that he wasn't complaining about the reward if he won. Whatever the truth was, he was too young to know what he would need to survive the Tournament, without an absurd amount of luck. Unlikely.

Moving on to the other Hogwarts champion – Cedric Diggory. Good-looking and popular, it appeared, but she knew very little about him other than that. The third boy was another celebrity – Quidditch player Viktor Krum. She didn't care for the sport – it was too violent for her tastes, although several of her friends, including her sister, loved to watch the game and they did have a Quidditch tournament at Beauxbatons. He was strategic, from what she had head, but that was all she knew. Appalled by her lack of knowledge about the three boys, she resolved to do some intelligence gathering. Lenalee refused to actively help her, explaining apologetically that she was only to protect her against threats from outside the Tasks, but her friends fell to the task with gusto and she soon learnt that Harry was only average in his abilities, while Cedric and Krum were far more advanced both in their skills (unsurprisingly) and in their class ranking. Requesting that her friends keep their ears open for any more useful information, she left with Lenalee to attend her first lesson on the week, one that her closest friends had not chosen to take.

There were very few girls in her Runes class, unpopular subject as it was although it fascinated Fleur. The lesson was, as always, in French, and she glanced apologetically at Lenalee, who obviously did not know the language well enough to understand what Madame Maxime was saying.

Paying attention to her class, she was delighted to find that they were beginning the lesson by recapping the Egyptian Hieroglyphs found in many Pharaoh tombs. This was an area she excelled in, proved when Madame Maxime called her up to translate and she did so flawlessly. Lenalee looked impressed, despite not knowing the language; Fleur supposed that the tone of voice Madame Maxime had used had suggested to the Chinese that she had been correct.

The rest of the lesson was spent learning Cuneiform, the first written language and therefore arguably the most magical, and how it was used to transcribe prophecies onto paper when required.

The hour seemed to pass in a blur and soon Lenalee was accompanying her to the Great Hall for lunch, where they met up with Gabrielle, who eagerly informed them about the things her governess had taught her. While she was not yet old enough to own a wand or practise magic, she was being taught to control her accidental magic as much as an eight-year old could, as well as the basics of maths and language that she was required to know before starting at Beauxbatons in a few years' time. She was talking in French, and Fleur soon noticed Lenalee's polite smile as she struggles to make sense of what was being said.

Once Gabrielle had finished her account and Fleur had reacted as expected of a loving older sister, she turned to Lenalee.

"Would you like me to teach you _Française_?" she enquired. Lenalee looked shocked.

"That would be great," she beamed. "I can teach you some Chinese, if you want?"

"Zat would be splendid," Fleur replied.

* * *

With the new lessons underway, Fleur's life suddenly became very busy. Lenalee was a great help, willing to learn and teach only when it was convenient for Fleur, and picked up the basics of French very well "I've been to France once or twice and picked up some of the language", and complimented Fleur's attempts to pick up Chinese "you're doing great. This is really tricky". Lenalee also helped her stay organised and even began to teach her basic muggle defence techniques.

Fleur found the physical activity very difficult, used to relying on her wand, but realised the advantages of persevering. If she was unused to hand-to-hand, then it was a safe bet that most wizards were, putting her at an advantage if she lost her wand – especially if her opponent also did. No matter how much she begged Lenalee, though, she would never demonstrate her ability, only showing abnormal feats such as impossibly high jumps. While it was unlikely that Fleur would ever gain that amount of physical fitness, seeing as Lenalee admitted she had been training since she was eight, she would gain some measure of ability, and Lenalee pointed out that if she had her wand on her, she could always use her magic to enhance whatever moves she was using.

Lenalee's lessons became a huge success, and soon all the girls were gathering round her, requesting lessons in at least basic self-defence. Gabrielle was her best student – her young age making it a lot easier for her to learn due to her increased flexibility (she had confided that she did gymnastics). Madame Maxime made it clear that she approved that her young ladies were learning other methods of defence, although she stressed to the girls that many would deem it improper and so it was soon the secret of the Beauxbatons carriage – an area had magically expanded in which Lenalee held her lessons.

* * *

When they met up at breakfast on the Friday morning, Lenalee informed her that they were required that afternoon for photographs, interviews and 'Wand Weighing' – a term that none of the girls understood. Needless to say Fleur looked forwards to the meeting; she would be on a par with two very famous young wizards. She just hoped they wouldn't overshadow her. She mentioned this fear in a whisper to Lenalee as they headed up to the classroom in the afternoon and Lenalee assured her that the schools would do everything in their power to make sure that all the Champions received equal treatment.

They were the first of the champions and their escorts to arrive, greeting the Headteachers as they entered. The photographer appeared stunned by the two beautiful young ladies, particularly Fleur, while the reporter ignored them. Krum and Allen arrived soon afterwards, followed by Cedric and Lavi, who Fleur made a point of ignoring. The three Rōzukurosu students began to talk amongst themselves, leaving the Champions to stand around, slightly awkward as none of them wanted to make the first move. Fleur noticed Lenalee speak to the female teacher – Professor Nine? – about something, who smiled and spoke back in what appeared to be a reassuring tone.

Finally, Harry arrived, partically hiding behind Kanda, who had disregarded all sense of etiquette by neglecting to knock before entering.

**So there you have it – the four Champions and their companions. Next up is the Weighing of the Wands (that's going to be fun to write!).**

**Those of you who noticed Fleur's fascination with Kanda, due to him being 'different', this is not an attempt to pair them up. As Fleur is part Veela, a magical creature, I think that she would be able to sense his healing curse/that he's a Second Exorcist, although she doesn't understand what it is she's sensing.**

**Guest Reviews:**

_Guest_**: I'm glad you like it so far; as for the slightly 'rushed' chapters, it probably feels like it because I'm having to write these around uni work so I'm writing little sections at a time then sticking them together. Also, there are some scenes I don't want to write too much about because I'll expand on them later and I don't want to repeat myself a lot. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Tsari**


	8. The Weighing of the Wands

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 8 – The Weighing of the Wands

"Ah! There you are, Harry!" Ludo Bagman exclaimed as he caught sight of him behind Kanda. "Nothing to worry about – just the Wand Weighing ceremony!"

"Wand Weighing?" Harry asked nervously. He could see the other champions looking just as curious.

"Just checking that your wands are in order – after all, they'll be your most important tool in the tasks ahead!" Bagman clarified. "After that there'll be a photo shoot. Rita Skeeter-" here he gestured towards the woman in magenta robes, with long crimson nails "-is doing a small piece on the Tournament for the _Daily Prophet_…"

"Maybe not that small, Ludo," Rita Skeeter purred, her eyes on Harry, who internally groaned. "Could I have a little word with Harry before we start? The youngest champion you know… to add a bit of colour?"

"Certainly!" Bagman replied. "That is, if there are no objections?" Rita Skeeter didn't give Harry a chance to respond, but before she could drag him out the door, Kanda had hold of her shoulder.

"Perhaps the Wand Weighing should come first, wouldn't you agree?" Professor Nine said, walking towards them. "Then you can interview _all _the champions, equally."

"A splendid suggestion," Dumbledore spoke up from where he had been talking with someone in the corner. "Perhaps you might even want to interview their companions, as well?"

"_Dumbledore!_" Rita Skeeter sounded delighted to see him. "I hope you saw my piece over the summer about the International Confederation of Wizards' Conference?"

"Enchantingly nasty," Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling. "I particularly enjoyed your description of me as an obsolete dingbat." Here he sent a glance to the teenagers in the room, as if warning them about the reporter's reputation. "Now then, our expert is ready." The man he had been talking to came forwards as Rita Skeeter withdrew an acid-green quill from her handbag and set it to parchment. "May I introduce Mr Ollivander?"

"Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you forwards first, please?" the elderly wizard asked. Fleur walked over to him and handed over her wand.

"Hmm…" he said, twirling it between his fingers as it emitted pink and gold sparks before inspecting it. "Nine and a half inches… inflexible… rosewood… and containing… dear me…"

"An 'air from ze 'ead of a Veela," Fleur said. "One of my grandmuzzer's."

"Yes, yes," Mr Ollivander said. "I've never used Veela hair myself. I find it makes for rather temperamental wands… however, each to their own, and if this suits you…" He ran his fingers along the wood, apparently checking its physical condition, before muttering "Orchideous!", causing a bunch of flowers to erupt from the wand tip.

"Very well, very well, it's in fine working order," he said, scooping up the flowers and handing them to Fleur with her wand. "You next, Mr Diggory."

Cedric stood and surrendered his wand as Fleur returned to her seat.

"Ah, now, this is one of mine, isn't it?" said Mr Ollivander. "Yes, I remember it well. Containing a single hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn… must have been seventeen hands; nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked his tail. Twelve and a quarter inches… ash… pleasantly springy. It's in fine condition." He send a stream of silver smoke rings across the room with it before pronouncing himself satisfied and returning it. "Mr Krum, if you please?"

Victor Krum got up and slouched over to him, handing his wand over somewhat reluctantly.

"Hmm…" said Mr Ollivander. "This is a Gregorovitch creation, unless I'm much mistaken? A fine wand-maker, although the styling is never quite what I… however…" He lifted it to his eyes to scrutinise. "Yes… hornbeam and dragon heartstring?" he shot at Krum, who nodded. "Rather thicker than one usually sees… quite rigid… ten and a quarter inches… _Avis_!"

The wand let off a blast like a gun and several small birds flew out of the wand, twittering as they vacated the room via the window.

"Good, very good," Mr Ollivander said, returning the wand. "Which leaves… Mr Potter."

Harry stood and handed over his wand.

"Aaaah, yes," said Mr Ollivander. "Yes, yes, yes. How well I remember." He inspected it like the others. "Holly… eleven inches… phoenix feather… nice and supple." He made a fountain of wine shoot out of it before announcing it still in perfect condition and handing it back.

"Thank you, Mr Ollivander," Dumbledore said. "Ms Skeeter, I believe it is your turn." The witch smiled.

"Should we not have the Rōzukurosu students' checked, as well?" Mr Crouch asked.

"They have already been checked," Professor Nine said. "Otherwise we would not have allowed them to have already commenced their duties."

"There you have it," Dumbledore smiled. "Ms Skeeter?"

"Thank you, Dumbledore," she said. "Some photos to begin with, I think."

"Yes, yes!" Bagman said, excitedly. "All the champions, judges and bodyguards!"

"And then perhaps some individual shots," Rita Skeeter said, eying up Harry.

"In the meantime, I shall find you a suitable room in which you can conduct your interviews," Professor Nine said, subtly stressing the plural.

"Why, thank you Ms Nine," Rita Skeeter beamed. "That will save us some time." The tall blonde nodded before sweeping out of the room, Lau Jimin chattering on her shoulder. "Now then," she turned to the others in the room. "Photographs."

The photographs took some time. There were so many of them that it was difficult to fit them all into the frame, and Madame Maxime overshadowed everyone no matter where she stood, so she ended up sitting. There was some contention as to who should be in more prominence within the photograph, with the photographer insisting on Fleur and Lenalee, while Rita Skeeter wanted Harry to be the focus. Some quiet intervention by Professor Nine when she returned to the disagreement ensured the girls' place of prominence.

Once the individual photographs of the champions (each with their respective companion also in the shot) were finally over, Rita Skeeter beamed at them all.

"Interviews," she said. "Now then, Harry first?"

"I believe the correct etiquette is to begin with the ladies," Reever intervened. "Would you not agree, Ms Skeeter?"

"Of course," the reporter backtracked. "Miss Delacour?"

"Mademoiselle," Professor Nine corrected. "Lenalee, accompany them." Rita Skeeter looked as if she wanted to protest, but the younger woman swept out of the room, followed by the two girls, leaving Rita Skeeter with no choice but to follow.

Professor Nine led them into a modestly sized classroom, which she assured them would be poltergeist-free ("I convinced Peeves to leave this room alone,") before returning to the main room.

"So, Miss – sorry, Mademoiselle – Delacour – can I call you Fleur? You don't mind if I use my Quick-Quotes Quill, do you? It will allow me to talk to you freely. Tell me about yourself."

Fleur took a moment to process the words, curious to see the quill already scribbling away, before replying.

"I am seventeen years old and in my last year at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic," Fleur began. "I 'ave a younger sister, who is 'ere to support me."

"What is life like at Beauxbatons?" Rita Skeeter asked before she could say any more.

"It is marvellous. Ze palace itself is magnificent and ze teachers are all fair and very helpful."

"Now then, how do you feel about being selected for the Tournament?" Rita Skeeter asked – obviously an important question. Fleur smiled.

"It is a great 'onour to 'ave been picked by ze Goblet," she said. "I look forwards to competing against ze ozzers."

"Now, the important question," Rita Skeeter pronounced, leaning in. "Do you think you can win?"

"Of course I zink it is a very real possibility," Fleur said. "Ze boys look tough, but I am confident zat zey will not be a match for me!" she beamed at the reporter, who smiled at her.

"Now that's what we like to hear," she said. "A bit of confidence! Thank you, Fleur." She turned to Lenalee. "Would you be willing to answer a few questions...?" she ended with a questioning pause. Lenalee smiled.

"Lenalee Lee," she answered. "And of course." Rita Skeeter smiled again, although it seemed more of a smirk.

"Miss Lee – is Lenalee alright? – tell me a bit about yourself. I, for one, have never heard of Rōzukurosu Academy before, and I am sure several of my readers haven't either."

"I'm sixteen years old and one of the elite students attending Rozukurosu Academy of Combatant Magic," Lenalee began. "I'm an orphan, but my older brother teaches Transfiguration so I'm not alone."

"An orphan?" Rita Skeeter pounced on a tragedy. "How did they die?"

"I don't really remember," Lenalee confessed. "I was only very young. Nii-san tells me that they were killed by burglars who broke into our house."

"A child without parents and only an older brother to turn to," Rita Skeeter sighed, turning to her Quill. "Did you get that?" It moved in an approximation of a nod. "Now then, why were you chosen as one of the four students to act as guards?"

Lenalee thought for a moment.

"I don't know why we were called upon specifically," she said. "I was called to the headmaster's office, like the boys, and we were briefed that we would have to protect some students for a year."

"No, no, no, Rita Skeeter smiled. "Why were _you_ picked out of all the students?"

"Well, there are only two female elite students," Lenalee pointed out. "So it was either myself or Miranda and I have higher grades and more experience."

"How do you fight? You do not appear to have a wand…" Rita Skeeter asked, looking her up and down for anywhere that one might be concealed.

"I'm an unarmed specialist" Lenalee explained. "Forgive me if I say no more, but it's easier to protect Fleur if people don't know my abilities." Rita Skeeter seemed taken aback, but could find no fault in her argument.

"That is understandable," she beamed. "Now then, one last question: having spent a week with Fleur, do you think she can win?"

"She's definitely capable enough," Lenalee said firmly. Fleur flashed her a smile at the vote of confidence.

"Well, that will be all, Fleur, Lenalee," Rita Skeeter said. "Thank you for your time. Let's return so I can pick up one of the boys."

They made the short walk back to the main classroom, where they were greeted by Professor Nine.

"Mr Diggory, Lavi," the blonde woman called. "It's your turn." She faced Rita Skeeter. "My apologies for arranging an order for the interviews." Rita Skeeter smiled an obviously fake smile.

"No problem; efficiency is key when interviewing so many people." With that, she led the boys to the classroom.

"Mr Diggory – may I call you Cedric? – why don't we start off with you telling us a bit about yourself? After all, you're up against two very famous wizards, and we wouldn't want you to be overlooked." Cedric blinked at the whirlwind of speech before pulling himself together.

"My name is Cedric Diggory; I'm seventeen years old and in my sixth year at Hogwarts. I'm a Hufflepuff prefect and-"

"Lovely," Rita Skeeter cut him off. "How did you feel when the Goblet chose you?"

"Ecstatic," Cedric admitted. "It's not often that a Hufflepuff gets a chance at glory so I'm glad the Goblet acknowledged us when it selected me."

"You must have been very disappointed when Harry also got selected," Rita Skeeter said sympathetically. "Do you think he wanted to undermine you by getting himself chosen as well?"

"I believe Harry when he says that he didn't enter," Cedric said firmly. "He doesn't want to be a champion and I don't blame him. I certainly wouldn't have been ready when I was his age." Rita Skeeter frowned a bit, but glanced across at her Quill to check what it had written.

"How accepting of you," Rita Skeeter smiled. "Now then, do you think you can win this?"

"Of course I do," Cedric said. "But at the end of the day, it's down to luck and how good my opponents are."

"Thanks you, Cedric," she said, turning to Lavi. "Would you mind answering questions?" she asked. "Lenalee was happy to, umm...?"

"Lavi Bookman," he beamed. "And course I'll answer some questions. But first – what's that Quill called? What does it do? I notice that it's writing of its own accord – is it documenting everything we say? Wow! That's amazing!" He leaned over to look at what it had written but she subtly got in the way.

"I'm the one asking the questions, Mr Bookman-"

"Lavi," he corrected her.

"Lavi, then," she smiled. "Now then, tell me a bit about yourself."

"I'm Lavi Bookman jr. and I attend Rozukurosu Academy of Combatant Magic," he began. "I'm eighteen years old and I love playing pranks on Yu-chan. I like older women – _Hellooo_, by the way-" here he winked at her and she blinked, startled "-but I'm still available! I-"

"Why do you think you were chosen out of all your peers to guard our champions?" Rita Skeeter interrupted. He huffed before answering.

"Well, obviously because I'm so charismatic and someone had to keep Moyashi-chan and Yu-chan under control. I'm also pretty handy with my weapon and love new places so I think I was chosen for that, too. They needed someone intelligent on the trip – aside from Lena, of course (she's really smart) and-"

"Having spent a week with Cedric, do you think he can win?" Rita Skeeter asked, talking over him.

"I think they've all got a fair shot at it. Cedric's clever and that puts him in a good stead, but I'm afraid I can't give you a definite answer because I haven't seen the others and so have nothing to compare it to. Anyway, are you single, because you're pretty hot," he flirted. Rita Skeeter was taken aback, while Cedric just stared at his new friend as if he was insane (which he probably was).

"That's the end of our interview," she said, slightly flustered, standing and leading the way back to the classroom, where she was handed Krum and Allen.

"Was Lavi a bit too forwards, Ms Skeeter?" Allen asked gently as they walked. "I'm sorry about him, he can be very overbearing."

"No, no. It was fine," she smiled. "Take a seat." The boys did so, Krum scowling slightly. "Mr Krum – can I call you Viktor?"

"Krum is fine," he grunted, taking her aback.

"Krum, then," she smiled. "Tell us about yourself?"

"You already know all there is to know," he pointed out. "I'm the Seeker for the Bulgarian National Quidditch team, eighteen years old and attend Durmstrang Institute. Your fellow reporters have spoken to me before." Rita Skeeter was forced to acknowledge that he had a point and continued with a more specific vein.

"How did you feel when your name was revealed as that of the Durmstrang champion?" she asked. Krum pondered for a moment before answering.

"I vas slightly disappointed. I vanted vone of my classmates to have the glory for vonce, because I am already very famous. But now I have been chosen I vill do my best to do myself and my school proud," he admitted. If Rita Skeeter was surprised, she didn't show it.

"So do you think you can win?" she asked.

"I think that I vill be able to do myself justice," he said firmly.

"I'm sure you will," Rita Skeeter beamed, turning to Allen. "Now then, Mr Walker, is it?"

"Allen Walker, yes," Allen confirmed. "I'd be delighted to answer some questions." She blinked, obviously not expecting him to have anticipated her.

"Allen, then. Talk about yourself." He shrugged.

"I'm fifteen, a student of Rōzukurosu Academy of Combatant Magic, and an orphan," he said. "There's not much left to say about me," he beamed. "Unless you want my favourite food – which is Mitarashi Dango." Rita Skeeter's smile faltered slightly.

"That's not a delicacy I've heard of," she admitted. Allen looked shocked.

"But it's the most amazing food ever!" he exclaimed. "Lots of rice dumplings on a stick and covered in sauce. Jerry always makes sure he's got some spare for me to snack on, even if it's not meal time!"

"Jerry?"

"Our head chef."

"So you don't have house elves running the castle?" Rita Skeeter inquired. Allen shrugged.

"If we do I've never seen them, but that might explain why there's never any dust around," he said. Rita Skeeter nodded knowingly before steering the conversation back to where it should have gone.

"Why, do you think, were you chosen out of all your peers for this task?" she asked. Allen smiled disarmingly.

"For my people-skills, I expect," he said. "But I was never explicitly given a reason." Rita Skeeter accepted the answer as her Quill scribbled furiously.

"So, Allen, do you think Krum here can win the tournament?" she asked. Allen pondered for a while before nodding.

"He's got the ability," he said. "I'm sure he'll do fine!" He beamed, matching Rita Skeeter's expression, which caused her to falter slightly.

"Thank you, boys," she said, standing – slightly shocked when Allen bolted up so as to be standing before her. "Shall we return?" Again, Allen surprised her by holding open the doors for her to pass through as they returned to the main classroom.

"Harry, Kanda!" Professor Wenhamm called. "It's your turn!" Neither boy looked too pleased at the prospect of their interview but dutifully stood nonetheless and followed Rita Skeeter back to the classroom.

"Take a seat," she said. Harry did so while Kanda opted to stand. "So, Harry," she began, not even bothering to ask if he minded. "How does it feel, being the youngest champion?"

"Err…" Harry began. Her Quill began scribbling furiously.

"Now then," here, she leaned in conspiratorially "how did you get your name into the Goblet of Fire?"

"I didn't!" Harry protested violently.

"Of course not," she agreed, nodding. Then she winked. "Everyone loves a rebel, Harry."

"I didn't enter!" Harry repeated.

"So, how do you think your parents would feel if they knew you had entered? Proud? Anxious?" she continued as if he hadn't spoken.

"Umm…" Harry said, the Quill catching his eye again.

"Ignore the Quill, Harry," Rita Skeeter said firmly, catching Kanda's attention. "What's life like, without your parents? So many of us can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for you, orphaned at such a young age."

"Err…" Harry said again.

"Lovely," she said. "Now then, do you think you can win?"

Harry blinked at her in silence.

Unperturbed, she turned to Kanda.

"And your name is?" she asked. The Japanese scowled at her but said nothing. "Can you understand me?" she asked, more slowly. "What… is… your… name?"

"I can speak English!" he retorted angrily. If looks could kill, Rita Skeeter would be dead several times over. Instead of dying, however, she looked at him expectantly.

"His name's Kanda," Harry spoke up. The Japanese huffed but didn't deny it.

"Kanda..?" she left the sentence hanging questioningly.

"Kanda," Kanda said firmly. "Just Kanda."

"Well then, Kanda," Rita Skeeter asked pleasantly. "Tell me a bit about yourself?"

"I hurt people that annoy me," he said. She ignored the thinly-veiled threat and continued.

"Why, out of all you peers, do you think you were chosen?"

"Because I'm the best." Kanda displayed no signs of boasting as he said it.

"Interesting that the best is chosen to guard the youngest," Rita Skeeter observed.

"I was the back-up, therefore I got the illegal one," Kanda pointed out. He glared as the acid green Quill kept scribbling. "What's that thing doing?"

"Recording our conversation," Rita Skeeter said pleasantly. "Now then-"

She was cut off by the sound of a sword whistling through the air. Turning her head, she saw that her Quick Quotes Quill had been cleaved in two by the black blade that innocently returned to its sheath on Kanda's back. Visibly shaken, she continued.

"Do you think Harry can win?"

"No," Kanda said shortly, heading for the door and grabbing Harry's arm. "This interview's over."

The door swung shut behind her and she was left to gape at her broken Quill.

"_Reparo_," she muttered, pointing her wand at it. The two halves stuck back together and it gave the impression of looking at her forlornly.

* * *

Kanda stalked back to the classroom, having released Harry's arm the moment the door had shut behind them. They re-entered the room containing the other champions and Exorcists.

"Where is Ms Skeeter?" Professor Nine asked. Kanda shrugged and Professor Wenhamm sighed.

Completely oblivious, Bagman beamed.

"Now then, before you all disperse, there's one thing left to say!" he informed them. "Barty?" Mr Crouch stepped forwards.

"The First Task will take place on the twenty-fourth of November," he said. "We will not be telling you what it is because it is designed to test your bravery." The faces of all four champions paled considerably. "Your bodyguards will not be able to assist you with this task, so do not ask," he added.

"Now then, off to dinner with you all," Professor Dumbledore said. "You're a little early, but I doubt you want to return to your classes for the last ten minutes."

The eight teens did as he suggested and headed down to the Great Hall.

**Here you are, the next chapter is complete. Not too happy with some of the interviews so I might revise it if I can think of something, although the first three are supposed to seem slightly rushed as Rita Skeeter really wants to only interview Harry. If anyone has any ideas for improvement, you're more than welcome to speak up!**

**I'm now on my Christmas holidays (yay for short uni terms) and with only one (tiny) assignment to do over the next month (yay for long uni holidays) I shall try and update this somewhat regularly, although my muse started to run out at the end of this chapter (I have a basic story plan though so I do know vaguely what's going to happen). As always, ideas for the champions' downtime is welcome!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Tsari**


	9. Rita Skeeter's Article

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 9 – Rita Skeeter's Article

The champions and their guards all headed down to the Great Hall. With the exception of Harry, it was the first time that the students had seen Allen, Kanda, Lavi and Lenalee interact.

"So what did you do to scare her, Yu-chan?" Lavi asked Kanda, eyes twinkling. Kanda's arm twitched towards Mugen.

"Don't. Call. Me. That," he hissed menacingly. Lavi just laughed and stuck his tongue out.

"Lavi, stop winding Kanda up," Lenalee sighed. Allen nodded in agreement.

"But it's so much fun!" Lavi protested.

"Dodging Mugen is not my idea of fun," Allen observed. "Are you sure you're not masochistic?"

"But Yu-chan's not allowed to draw Mugen unless Harry's in danger," Lavi pointed out. "So I'm safe."

"Not after curfew, you're not," Kanda smirked. Lavi immediately froze. "I haven't been able to utilise Mugen properly for weeks."

The champions inwardly shuddered, and Harry was left wondering why he was the one that had to put up with Kanda. Surely Kanda was going to end up killing him before the year was out?

"I don't envy you," Cedric leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"I didn't expect you too," Harry pointed out. "I just don't talk to him. It seems the safest option." Cedric laughed.

Krum turned to talk to the pretty part-Veela that was walking alongside him, but at her thoughtful face decided to remain quiet. She was surveying Kanda curiously, he noticed, and her eyes kept being drawn to his chest before flickering to the sword.

"Am I ze only one zat zinks 'e is different?" she asked him in an undertone.

"I do not see vhat you mean," he admitted after a moment's thought. "Aside from the killer instinct, he seems perfectly normal."

"'E feels slightly… off… to me," Fleur admitted. "Almost as if 'e is not 'uman." Krum turned to her, eyes wide.

"Not human?" he inquired. "Vhat do you mean?"

"I… ah, it iz 'ard to explain. 'E iz definitely 'uman, but zhere iz a 'int of somezing else," she murmured. Krum shrugged.

"I am sure that it vill prove to be nothing important, othervise he vould not be a bodyguard," he reassured her. She didn't look convinced, but said nothing more on the matter and turned her gaze to the still-bickering males. Lenalee caught her eyes and smiled apologetically.

The Great Hall was still largely empty when they entered, but they still went to sit at their usual tables, not comfortable with the idea of all sitting together – especially not Harry and Cedric, because it would mean that one of them would have to abandon their house for the meal.

Harry ate quickly, the noticeable lack of Hermione making things quite awkward as there was no-one to talk to save Kanda, who was still in a bad mood following his argument with the 'Baka Usagi' and 'Moyashi' – whatever they meant. He assumed it was less-than-polite Japanese. Thankfully, Kanda was more than happy to leave when Harry had finished his food, and they headed back to the Gryffindor Common Room in a not-quite companionable silence. He muttered the password, inwardly wincing at the thought of all the homework he had yet to start. Heading to the dormitory with Kanda in tow, he saw Ron, who pointed out the school barn owl he had sent to Sirius sitting on his bed.

"Detention's tomorrow night, Snape's dungeon," he added sourly before briskly vacating the room. Kanda eyed the owl suspiciously and, quick as a flash, grabbed it, making it hoot in alarm. Retrieving the letter none-to-gently, he scanned it before declaring it safe and handing it to Harry. Silently apologising to the owl, which had flown off the moment it was released, he opened Sirius' reply.

_Harry –_

_I can't say everything I would like to in a letter, it's too risky in case the owl is intercepted – we need to talk, face to face. Can you ensure that you are alone by the fire in Gryffindor Tower at one o'clock in the morning on the 22__nd__ November?_

_I know better than anyone that you can look after yourself, and while you're around Dumbledore and Moody I doubt anyone will be able to hurt you, especially now that you've acquired a bodyguard. However, someone seems to be having a good try. Entering you in that Tournament would have been very risky, especially right under Dumbledore's nose._

_Be on the watch, Harry. I still want to hear about anything unusual. Let me know about the 22__nd__ November as quickly as you can. Stay safe, and stick with this Kanda – if Dumbledore appointed him then he's obviously trustworthy._

_Sirius._

Harry glanced at the Japanese, who was studying him.

"I'll be there," Kanda said before he could so much as open his mouth. "I don't care what anyone else says – you cannot meet with someone I haven't met and approved without me." Harry had expected the answer, but was still apprehensive about the samurai meeting his godfather/a wanted criminal.

* * *

Cedric had spotted some of his friends already at the table and he and Lavi had made a beeline for them.

"How was it?" Ailey asked him as he sat down.

"Not too bad," Cedric shrugged. "Ollivander checked my wand, we had our photos taken and then we were all interviewed by Rita Skeeter." His friends winced sympathetically.

"You realise that Potter's interview is going to take up the entire article, right?" Warren asked.

"And that anything she does include relating to you won't have any relevance to what you said?" Dillan added.

Cedric sighed but nodded.

"Oh?" Lavi asked. "Does Ms Skeeter have a tendency for unfair reporting?"

"Unfair?" Marvin exploded. "She's the most biased reporter that writes for the _Daily Prophet_!"

"And that's saying something," David added. "They're all twisted." Lavi's eyes gleamed briefly with interest, but it was masked before the Hufflepuffs noticed.

"Shall we go and finish our homework?" Cedric asked glumly. "Champion or not, everyone expects me to still do all my schoolwork." Groaning at the thought, they finished their meals before disappearing into the Hufflepuff Common Room to work.

* * *

Krum stoically ignored everyone – Slytherins and Durmstrang students alike – who inquired after his afternoon. There was no reason for them to know about his interview – a thought that Karkaroff clearly didn't share as he chatted animatedly with whoever would listen about the upcoming article in the _Daily Prophet_. Krum didn't care. He doubted that it would be true, anyway. In his experience, reporters were very good at twisting the truth and making things up. He was still slightly troubled about what Fleur had mentioned about Kanda, and seeing as there was no point worrying about the unknown task he decided to take a visit to Hogwarts' impressive library. There was no denying the fact that he also hoped to spot a certain young lady there.

Allen stood when he did – it amazed Krum that he was able to eat so quickly despite the larger than average portions that he ate – and silently followed. Krum was tempted to ask him, but decided that it would be a more interesting use of his time to research. It would also give him a better idea as to the layout of the library, which might be important in the other tasks. He started with a book on magical creatures, eager to first of all find out more about the Veela. While he knew more than perhaps others did, thanks to them being his team's mascots in Quidditch, he still wanted to double check some things as one of the other competitors was part-Veela. Allen, he noticed, stayed close to him, occasionally picking up some books or other, while he began to read through his chosen book. _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ seemed like a good starting point as he looked for a creature that was human but not.

* * *

Gabrielle was waiting for her sister in the Great Hall and she soon fell to telling her all about the afternoon, including the attempts of Professor Nine and Lenalee to ensure that she was not overshadowed by the two celebrities she was competing against. Gabrielle thanked Lenalee profusely, who nodded in acknowledgment but waved it off as something any decent person would have done.

"When are our next self-defence lessons?" Fleur asked Lenalee in quiet French. The Chinese girl took a moment to process the words before replying.

"Tomorrow," she said in the same language. "You never know, it may come in useful in the tasks – no I don't know what it is," she added apologetically. "They must think that it's fairer if we don't know, either." Fleur nodded understandingly.

"Makes sense," she admitted. "Your French is improving very well."

"Thanks," Lenalee smiled, switching back to Chinese. "Your Chinese has also been improving at an impressive rate." Like Lenalee a few moments before, Fleur took a moment to formulate a response before speaking.

"I had a good teacher," she pointed out.

"You are learning Chinese?" a girl sitting opposite them asked quietly in the same language.

"Lenalee iz teaching me," Fleur said, reverting back to English.

"It's a good language," the girl smiled. "My name is Cho Chang, by the way."

"Fleur Delacour," the Beauxbatons champion replied.

"Lenalee Lee," Lenalee chipped in with a smile.

The three girls began to talk about what had happened so far in the Tournament – mainly Harry's selection – and Lenalee answered all the questions Cho had concerning Rōzukurosu Academy. Her thirst for knowledge rivalled that of Lavi's, Lenalee observed as she spoke. Then again, looking around at the other Ravenclaws in the vicinity, she could see that it appeared to be a common trait within the house. No doubt Lavi would have felt right at home amongst them.

Eventually, conversation was exhausted and they headed off to the Beauxbatons carriage where Fleur intending on doing some studying.

* * *

The _Daily Prophet_ article was released later that week and, as expected, none of the interviewees were too pleased with how it had turned out.

_The three champions for this year's Triwizard Tournament – the first in nearly two hundred years – were selected on Hallowe'en by the Goblet of Fire. Amazingly, once the three champions were called out a fourth name was also selected – none other than the Boy Who Lived, also known as Harry Potter. Another stirring twist is that of the presence of an unknown fourth school, which goes by the name of Rōzukurosu Academy of Combatant Magic, of which four students were chosen to act as protectors for the champions outside of the three Tasks. Younger readers may not be aware of how the Tournament proceeds, so your reporter has given a detailed account on the ins and outs of previous years (turn to page nine)._

_Your reporter was privileged to attend the Weighing of the Wands ceremony, in which the contestants' wands are checked to ensure that they are fully functional in order to give them the best chances of survival. As expected, all wands were in perfect condition, and your reporter was then given an opportunity to conduct interviews with not only the champions, but their personal guards as well._

_Beauxbatons Academy of Magic – Fleur Delacour_

_Mademoiselle Delacour is accompanied by the only female Rōzukurosu Academy student, one Lenalee Lee, who is of Chinese heritage. Neither are native English speakers, which becomes apparent when asked questions as they both required time to answer in order to understand what they were asked, and only gave short replies (for the ease of readers, their grammar has been corrected). Mademoiselle Delacour is in her final year of Beauxbatons, and as such is seventeen years old. She answered her questions first:_

"_I am deeply honoured to have been chosen, but it came as no surprise to me. I always knew I was the best candidate out of those Madam Maxime chose to bring."_

_When asked about her chances of winning, she became very insistent._

"_Of course I am going to win!" she exclaimed passionately. "The boys have nothing on my abilities!"_

_Upon concluding the interview with her, your reporter asked Lenalee some questions. She is sixteen years old and an orphan._

"_Out of everyone that could have been chosen, Professor Wenhamm (the headmaster of Rōzukurosu Academy) chose me because I am the best female student, and better than most of the boys."_

_When the topic of her parent's death was brought up she showed very little emotion, perhaps a worrying trait in someone responsible for another's life._

"_They were killed by burglars several years ago, before I started at the Academy. I'm not alone, though – my older brother teaches Transfiguration there."_

_It seems very worrying that a girl with no parents and only a much-older brother to turn to has been charged with the safety of another, when her mental state is surely questionable._

_When asked as to her fighting abilities, she chose not to reply, although it is known that she does not carry a wand._

_Durmstrang Institute – Viktor Krum_

_Mr Krum, none other than the famous Seeker for the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team, was unsurprisingly selected by the Goblet of Fire to represent his school. Despite his understandable English, he neglected to give long answers (again, for the ease of the readers his grammar has been corrected). He is accompanied by Allen Walker._

"_If anyone else had been chosen I would have been furious. I am clearly the best in the school and my fame would have automatically won me my place."_

_When asked about his chances, he gave a similar response to Fleur._

"_Of course I will win. There is no other alternative."_

_At this point, he refused to answer any more questions so your reporter turned to Mr Walker. He is fifteen years old and, like Lenalee, an orphan._

"_I was obviously chosen for my ability to communicate. Also a superior fighter, but most of my school mates are inept at talking to others."_

_He fended off all questions pertaining to his orphan status, and like Lenalee revealing no emotions regarding the lack of parents._

"_They died."_

_While slightly more welcoming than Lenalee, helped by his obvious English heritage, he still seems to have a darker past, which is again worrying concerning the life with which he is tasked to protect._

_He, too, neglected to answer questions on his fighting style._

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – Cedric Diggory_

_Mr Diggory is the epitome of all good Hufflepuffs. Hardworking and loyal, he makes an unlikely champion, until his interview reveals more. Seventeen years old, and in his sixth year of Hogwarts, he is accompanied by Lavi Bookman._

"_I look forwards to competing in the tasks. My house is often overlooked and for once I want to be the school hero, not Harry."_

_When asked about his thoughts on Harry's surprise selection he became bitter._

"_He says that he didn't do it, and I find it hard to believe that he is powerful enough to surpass the Age Line. He's only young, after all. That doesn't mean I'm happy about the added competition. It's torn the support of most of the school away from me as they all vote for the Boy Who Lived."_

_When asked if he thinks he can win, he's all confidence._

"_Of course I can! Harry's no threat, and the other two can barely speak English!"_

_With that, the interview was over and your reporter turned to Mr Bookman. Lavi is eighteen years old, and overly enthusiastic at the idea of an interview._

"_Well, someone's got to have brains here and the others are no-hopers in that department so of course I was chosen!"_

_He then quickly backtracked and informed your reporter that Lenalee was also very intelligent, once past the language barrier. He refused, however, to answer any questions on his own past or his weaponry, aside from how good he was at using it, and at this point began questioning your reporter, including immature attempts at flirting. At this point, the interview was concluded._

_It appears worrisome that yet another of the guards for the champions appears to have a very secretive life and shows obvious signs of insanity._

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – Harry Potter_

_Harry's past requires no explaining. As the hero responsible for the downfall of He Who Must Not Be Named, he is already very famous and obviously powerful. His companion is referred to as Kanda. Unlike the others, Harry was all too happy to answer in depth._

"_I was really pleased to be selected. Of course, once I passed the Age Line I was sure that the Goblet would select me but I have to admit it got rather scary when Cedric's name was called out as the Hogwarts champion. But then the Goblet decided to choose me as well, despite my age. After all, I undoubtedly have the most experience out of any student that was in the Hall."_

_He refused to disclose how he managed to pass the Age Line that had been drawn around the Goblet, although his grin clearly showed how proud he was that he had managed it._

_At this point the line of questioning turned towards James and Lily Potter. Tears welled in those startlingly green eyes as he thinks back to the parents he can barely remember._

"_I suppose I get my strength from my parents, I know they'd be very proud of me if they could see me now. I'm not ashamed to admit that sometimes at night I still cry about them. I know nothing will hurt me during the Tournament, because they're watching over me."_

_At this point he choked up, and your reporter allowed him a reprieve in order to regain his composure before continuing._

"_My friends and the rest of the school have been really supportive. I feel bad for Cedric because he should be getting equal support but no matter how much I ask them to, only Hufflepuff are giving him any support at all while everyone else claims that he's a fake champion. He isn't – the Goblet chose him like it did the rest of us."_

_His compassion for one of his rivals is outstanding and your reporter hopes that after reading this, many Hogwarts students will see fit to give equal support to both their champions. To conclude the interview, he is asked if he thinks he can win._

"_I like to think that I can, but the other students are so much more advanced than I am so it'll be difficult. But at the end of the day, I think I'll manage to pull through."_

_Other students have been full of nothing but praise for Harry. One close friend, Colin Creevey, says that Harry is rarely seen outside the company of one Hermione Granger, a stunningly pretty Muggle-born girl who, like Harry, is one of the top students in the school. It seems that Harry has at last found love at Hogwarts._

_After Harry's pleasant demeanour, the interview with Kanda runs far less smoothly. To begin with, he ignores your reporter's questions. This is thought to be due to an inability to comprehend English, as he hails from Japan, but when your reporter suggested finding a translator he grew violent and agitated before proving that his English was, in fact, almost fluent, although he only spoke in short sentences._

"_Because I'm the best."_

_This was the reaction when asked why he was chosen. Your reporter noted that the self-proclaimed 'best' had been chosen to guard the youngest and most famous of the four champions. At this point, he referred to Harry as the 'illegal' champion and iterated that he was only supposed to provide backup if necessary._

_Your reporter attempted to ask him more questions, but was threatened by his sword – the only one of the Rōzukurosu Academy students' weapons that is visible to the casual observer – and so the interview was halted._

_Your reporter must ask why the students that have been chosen to guard the champions have such violent and insane mentalities – surely Albus Dumbledore has a reason for this unless he has finally succumbed to old age and has gone senile, as it is thought that the guards were his idea. Not enough is known about Rōzukurosu Academy to know if all the students are of similar levels of insanity._

The main picture was that of all the champions, bodyguards and judges, and each of the interview sections was accompanied by the picture that had been taken of the respective champion and companion.

Harry in particular seemed to get a lot of abuse from the rest of the school as a result of his 'interview' – none of which he had actually said and he was horrified at what he had turned his non-committal noises into. He also doubted that the others' interviews had been recorded terribly accurately, although he had to admit that she'd almost got it right with Kanda.

"She's determined to make you the tragic hero and everyone else the villains," Hermione had informed him after reading it. "Ignore it." He tried to, but without the help of Ron it had proven difficult.

Unfortunately, the day of their detention had also been the day the article had been released and so Ron had seemed determined to be as cool as possible towards him while they were forced to pickle rats' brains in Snape's dungeon. Malfoy had found the article highly amusing, but under the watchful eyes of both Snape and Kanda – of who he seemed to be terrified of – he had kept his teasing to a minimum until the two hours were up and he was once again surrounded by his cronies.

* * *

Cedric supposed that Rita Skeeter's rendition of his interview could have gone far worse. Luckily, the rest of the school didn't believe that he was as arrogant as he had been portrayed which was, admittedly, less than Krum. His friends had been outraged, but after pointing out that he was lucky to get a mention at all they quietened down. It didn't help their attitude towards Harry, though. They knew Rita Skeeter's penchant for twisting words, but they still found it unbearably arrogant. Lavi seemed completely unaffected, despite the many queer looks he was getting for flirting with Rita Skeeter. When questioned, he laughed.

"What can I say? I like older women!"

* * *

Krum ignored the article, as he did every media article about him. His arrogant portrayal didn't bother him much, as he knew all his classmates felt him arrogant anyway. He wasn't – they just didn't want to get to know him after he became Karkaroff's favourite. Allen seemed equally determined to ignore the damning article. He had been short because Mana's death still hurt and he didn't want to talk about it, not because he didn't care.

* * *

Fleur found the slur on her English to be very insulting. She recognised that she wasn't the most fluent but found it upsetting that Rita Skeeter had exaggerated it so much. She didn't let down the façade of confidence that she had built for herself, however, choosing instead to confide in Lenalee, who told her not to worry about it. People like Rita Skeeter weren't worth it. The younger girl's guidance benefitted them both greatly and soon Fleur was laughing with her friends and Gabrielle again.

**This chapter was supposed to cover the entire time between the Weighing of the Wands and the First Task, but it started getting really long so I've decided to spread it over at least one more chapter, but I haven't decided exactly. There are five areas I need to address before then – Exorcists, Harry/Kanda, Cedric/Lavi, Krum/Allen and Fleur/Lenalee – but I'm not sure how to pace them. If you have a preference, please speak up. The options are:**

**Put them all together in one chapter**

**Split it in two (Exorcists, Harry/Kanda in one chapter and Cedric/Lavi, Krum/Allen and Fleur/Lenalee in another)**

**Split it into five separate chapters, one area each (I'll need ideas for these, especially Cedric/Lavi, Krum/Allen and Fleur/Lenalee, if you'd rather this option because as it stands I don't think I have enough to write a decent length chapter per area).**

**I can't guarantee that I'll go with the majority vote as it may end up not flowing as I want it to, but I'll try.**

**Sorry if I'm not being consistent with Fleur/Krum's accents. At some point (probably when it's near completion) I'll look over the story and make them all the same.**

**I hope you liked the article and Rita Skeeter's twist on everything that took place within the interviews because it was fun to write.**

**Also, 100 reviews! Thank you so much!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Tsari**


	10. Dragons

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 10 – Dragons

As usual, it was late evening when the last of the exorcists entered their private quarters.

"You're going to see Hagrid in an hour," Reever told them. "So don't get too comfortable." Kanda shrugged and entered the dojo. He wasn't going to go to sleep anyway, not with Harry's meeting with a known criminal at one o'clock that morning – he just hoped that whatever Hagrid wanted wouldn't take too long.

"Want to spar?" Lavi asked, unusually taking a break from his extensive research. Kanda shrugged in a manner Lavi knew to interpret as 'yes'. Putting aside their Innocence, they stripped down to the basic gear underneath their uniforms and squared off before launching themselves at the other. Kanda always had the advantage in this sort of spar. His strength and speed far surpassed the junior Bookman's, meaning that the only think he could rely on was his single eye and higher intelligence, but even that wasn't any real advantage – Kanda had been fighting since he was born and so had a tactical mind to rival Lavi's. As usual, neither of them pulled their punches and both noticed a definite reduction in their abilities. Their all-day assignments left them with very little time to train and while Kanda could meditate late at night, he got scolded for training because it kept the others awake.

Allen and Lenalee spend the time talking, as they usually did. They would have sparred, but there was only one dojo and Lavi and Kanda were making use of it. The slight language barrier that they had to deal with when spending time with their respective champions was easily overcome, especially for the well-travelled exorcists (especially Allen), but they did enjoy being able to speak fluent English to each other at the end of the day. Reever often joined in, but tonight he was reading instead – despite not having access to anything like the equipment at the Black Order, he spent a lot of time doing research just to fill his time. This was something Lavi sometimes helped with, as Reever was currently comparing magic and Innocence. They were obviously similar, but definitely not the same thing and Reever was trying to see if there was anything the wizards did when controlling their magic that could be beneficial to exorcists, particularly equipment-types, due to the similarities of requiring a medium (wand or various form the Innocence was shaped into). Cloud had little interest in this, as her Innocence was technically parasitic and therefore as long as she had full control of Lau Jimin, she was in full control of her Innocence.

Reading the lesson plans for the rest of the term, she sighed at the amount of time she was required to spend with those horrendous Blast-Ended Skrewts, but after Hagrid had explained that they would be used in the third task, she understood why it was necessary. She found it ironic that Harry was rearing something he would have to face at some point. Unlike the four younger exorcists, she and Reever already knew all the details for the four tasks, courtesy of Professor Dumbledore, and as such did not need to go and see the dragons. Because of this, Reever had decided against going, because if something happened he was the only one incapable of defending himself. Sometimes he wondered why Komui had selected him when he was utterly useless. Probably to get him out of the castle so he couldn't nag him. Too bad Johnny and Tapp were under orders to continue ensuring that their Chief didn't slack off for the year.

"Go get those two," Cloud said to Allen and Lenalee half an hour later, indicating the dojo door. "We'll need to leave soon and they need to look respectable. We don't want them causing a panic because they look like they've been in a fight." The teenagers nodded and Lenalee bravely opened the door just in time to see Lavi get sent flying into the opposing wall. He was covered in bumps and bruises, but that was to be expected when sparring with Kanda. The only one exempt from that level of treatment were the girls, after all. Kanda was in better shape, but he too showed signs of the spar, although they would be healed before they had to leave.

Seeing the two about to re-engage, Allen sent out Crown Clown to separate them.

"Time to get cleaned up," he said as they glared at him. "Cloud-san's orders." Both made to stand down as they were released. Even Kanda was aware that she was their superior – being a general made it very obvious – and both knew better than to argue, otherwise they'd have to face Lau Jimin. They left the room and headed to their bathrooms in order to freshen up before slipping their uniforms on again. Re-entering the common area, Lavi immediately went to assist Reever in his research while Lenalee attempted to draw Kanda into a conversation. Allen's presence didn't help and the Japanese stayed stubbornly quiet, only speaking when the alternative was an upset Lenalee, which was far more hassle than he cared to deal with.

"Why are we meeting with Hagrid-san?" Allen asked the room. Reever chuckled but otherwise stayed silent. "Cloud-san?"

"It's a surprise," she said. It was obvious that she was enjoying knowing something they didn't. "Don't worry, it shouldn't hurt you. If you behave." The last remark was sent Kanda's way, who looked affronted that she would even suggest that he'd do something to jeopardise his mission.

"As long as it doesn't take too long," he grunted. He'd told her and Reever about Harry's meeting that night as they had agreed that he should be present. "Also, Harry is meeting Hagrid tonight at the same time as us, using his invisibility cloak." Reever smirked.

"He's your responsibility," he said. "Just make sure he doesn't get too close."

"That actually ties in quite nicely," Cloud added. "You can escort him back to the common room from there and so be certain not to miss the meeting." Kanda huffed, still not happy with his charge roaming around at night.

"It's time you left," Reever added, looking at his watch. "You don't want to be late." Double-checking that they had everything they needed, the five exorcists left and headed down to Hagrid's hut. Kanda quickly picked up on Harry's distinctive aura, confirming his presence to the others.

"Warn me before you leave," he growled at the space where Harry stood, sheltered under his cloak. Hagrid blushed.

"We won't tell anyone," Cloud assured him. "Cheating's traditional, from what I've heard. Just stay hidden and not too far from Kanda."

"How?" Harry's voice sounded, making most of the company jump.

"Yu-chan's special like that," Lavi explained, ducking as Kanda threw a half-hearted punch his way. "Not Mugen? You're getting soft," he teased. Lenalee quickly intervened before Mugen really was drawn.

"What are you showing us?" she asked. Hagrid's worried face gave way to a massive grin.

"You'll 'ave ta wait an' see!" he said joyfully. "It's a sigh' worth seeing, tha's for sure." Cloud concealed a smile at the man's enthusiasm. Not many people were that eager to meet four angry, nesting, female dragons.

"Let's go," Kanda said, not wanting to waste any more time than necessary. If Harry felt pushed for time then there was no guarantee that he'd inform Kanda before running off. Hagrid didn't need any more prompting and led the way into the Forbidden Forest. The meeting with Madam Maxime en route wasn't surprising to anyone except Harry, although it led to Allen considering breaking the rules to warn Krum, seeing as he would be representing the only school that didn't know. A presence behind him quelled that idea – in the shadows Karkaroff was tailing them.

A roar and flare of what was unmistakeably dragons caught their attention and Kanda and Lavi instinctively reached for their weapons, while Lenalee and Allen tensed in preparation to activate. Nodding in approval at their reflexes, Cloud told them to stand down. Four impressively large dragons were easily visible, contained as they were, and wizards were scurrying round as they tried to find a way to calm them. In the end, they resorted to spells that knocked the dragons out, much to the relief of all the exorcists, although Kanda and Cloud would never admit it. They looked far more dangerous than akuma, despite the lack of instantly-fatal poison (they hoped).

One of the wizards in attendance walked up to them.

"Charley Weasley," he said, offering a hand. Lavi was first to take it, noting the calloused palms. Allen, Lenalee and Cloud responded similarly, while Kanda offered a nod of recognition, which Charley accepted. "What's she doing here?" he asked Hagrid, looking at Madam Maxime, who had gone for a closer look.

"Jus' though' she would like ta see 'em," Hagrid shrugged.

"Real romantic date there, Hagrid," Charley sighed. "I've got them counted," he added as he noticed Hagrid's interest in the various eggs. Hagrid tried to look innocent, but failed.

"I am not teaching the students how to handle dragon hatchlings," Cloud said firmly. "I wouldn't even teach that at Rōzukurosu Academy to my most skilled students for fear of getting them killed."

"What breeds have you got here?" Lavi asked, warily eyeing a particularly dangerous looking one.

"Well that one's a Hungarian Horntail," Charley explained, following his line of sight. "Nastiest one of the lot, I'd say. Don't envy the champion that has to face this one; its back end's nearly as dangerous as its front – look." He indicated the numerous spines on her tail.

Harry gulped silently.

"That red one's a Chinese Fireball," Charley continued. "Then there's the Welsh Green and the Swedish Short Snout." He indicated each dragon as he named the species. "Not sure why they wanted nesting mothers, but they were quite specific."

"So what do they have to do?" Lenalee asked. Charley shrugged.

"I don't know. My best guess is that they've got to get past them," he admitted. Lavi surveyed them intently, focusing on the emphasis on nesting mothers.

A slight tug on Kanda's sleeve caught the Japanese's attention. A quick, inconspicuous motion to Cloud and he silently headed back to the castle, steering Harry around Karkaroff when he realised that their auras were headed straight for each other. Neither spoke all the way up to the Gryffindor Common Room. Peeves appeared briefly, but one look at Kanda and he turned tail. The poltergeist had learnt the hard way that Innocence worked on him, courtesy of a Kaichu Ichigen from Kanda himself. Since then he had left all the exorcists well alone. Kanda gave the password to the Fat Lady, who didn't seem surprised to see him entering the Common Room that late at night, and entered immediately after Harry. Hermione was waiting for them, slightly surprised to see Kanda arriving with Harry, but quickly surmised that he must have gone to see Hagrid with Harry as well. It made sense, after all, Kanda had been present when Hagrid had requested his presence. She obviously wanted to talk, but Kanda sent her upstairs with a look. Questions could wait.

At one o'clock exactly the fire crackled and a head appeared, causing Kanda to half-draw Mugen before Harry gasped "Sirius!"

"Hello, Harry," the man said, keeping a wary eye on Kanda and his sword, which had returned to its sheath although Kanda still kept hold of the hilt. "How are you doing?"

Immediately, Harry launched into a description of his entire time since the Tournament had begun, laying bare all his emotions and how Ron had abandoned him, along with the rest of the school. Kanda only half listened, more intent on scrutinising one Sirius Black, and keeping guard for anything that was headed in their direction. The despair was plain to hear when Harry finally told Sirius about the dragons. Kanda noticed that Sirius was more interested in other warnings, before moving on to the topic of the dragons.

"Karkaroff was in Azkaban with me before he negotiated with the Ministry for his release – he was a Death Eater," he said urgently. Kanda turned to look at him. He'd heard the term before but wasn't sure on the details. "You know what that is, don't you?"

"Yes, but-"

"No," Kanda interrupted. "Tell me."

"They were Voldemort's supporters in the last war," Sirius summarised quickly. "It's likely that at least some of their number are still active and want Harry dead in retribution for his defeat fourteen years ago." Kanda nodded in understanding before looking at Harry. "Continue."

"Are you saying Karkaroff put my name in the Goblet?" Harry asked. "Because he seemed furious about it."

"We all know he's a good actor," Sirius pointed out. "He got himself released from Azkaban, didn't he?"

"He hasn't shown any ill will towards anyone," Kanda said. "Moyashi would have reported it."

"Moy-"

"Allen Walker," Harry explained hurriedly. "Krum's guard." Sirius shrugged.

"Still, keep an eye on him," he said. "And even if it wasn't Karkaroff, it could easily be someone else that wants you dead, Harry."

"Seems like a great plan from where I'm standing," Harry said bleakly. "All they'll have to do is sit back and watch the dragons do it for them."

"Right, these dragons," Sirius said urgently. "There is a way – don't be tempted to stun them; it takes half a dozen wizards to take one down-"

"Yeah, I saw," Harry said.

"But there's a simple way," Sirius continued. "Just-"

"Go," Kanda cut him off. "Someone's coming." Harry turned to the stairs to see a shadow descending. A small 'pop' indicated Sirius' departure as the person came into view. It was Ron.

"What are you two doing down here at this time of night?" the youngest Weasley boy asked, spying Kanda with him.

"What's it to you?" Harry snapped back. Having seen who it was, Kanda had relinquished his grip on Mugen, but was more than willing to draw it if necessary.

"I- Nothing. I'm off to bed," Ron mumbled.

"Just thought you'd come nosing around, did you?" Harry shouted, making Kanda narrow his eyes at his young charge.

"Sorry about that," Ron said, reddening slightly. "I should have known you'd have wanted to practise for your next interview in peace."

In a fit of rage, Harry grabbed one of the Creeveys' stash of modified _POTTER REALLY STINKS_ badges and hurled it at him, hitting him square on the forehead.

"There you go," he spat. "Something for you to wear on Tuesday. You might even have a scar now if you're lucky. That's what you want, isn't it?" Without waiting for a response, he brushed past the taller boy and stormed off to bed. Ron stayed frozen at the foot of the stairs, facing Kanda, who scoffed in annoyance before heading back to the exorcists' quarters.

"Well?" Cloud asked him.

"This Sirius Black seems trustworthy," Kanda said. "There was no malice in his aura." He turned to Allen. "He said that Karkaroff was a Death Eater – one of Voldemort's supporters. Keep an eye on him." The younger boy nodded in understanding. It wouldn't be too difficult to do, seeing as the man liked to stick to Krum like glue.

"All the champions bar Cedric are bound to know by now," Lavi said thoughtfully. "If he asks me for help, I'll tell him. It's only fair." No-one argued with his logic. If the rest of the champions could have an inside source, it was only fair if Cedric had one as well, even if he chose not to use it.

"Anyway," Reever said. "Now that Kanda's back, I can tell you more about the task. Only the judges know precisely what is entailed, and as one of them I'm privy to that information."

"Do they have to steal something?" Lavi asked. "It's the only reason I can think of that you would need nesting mothers as opposed to any other dragons." Kanda noticed a pile of books on dragons open by the redhead. Reever smiled.

"Correct," he said. "A golden egg will be placed amongst the clutch of real eggs and they need to retrieve it, preferably without causing any damage to the real ones, or themselves."

"You will be waiting with your respective champion within the designated tent," Cloud said. "When they are called into the arena you will wait outside of the tent, with the wizards that are on standby in case the dragons get out of hand. Needless to say, you may only intervene if akuma or – God forbid – Noah appear. Anything to do with the task itself you are to leave to the wizards. They won't let the champion die. After the champion has completed or withdrawn from the task, accompany them to wherever they go, whether it be the medical tent or the stands. Do not allow them to remain in the arena once they've dealt with their dragon."

The four exorcists nodded in understanding. They were to protect against outside influences, not help within the task.

"I suggest you all get some sleep," Cloud added. "As of tomorrow the champions will be training hard to counter the dragons and you still have your duties to commence."

"That includes you, Lavi," Reever said. "I can research by myself tonight."

"You should sleep, too," Lenalee said disapprovingly. "We're not at the Order anymore – you don't need to pull all-nighters while we're here." Reever looked sheepish.

"Old habits die hard, I guess," he said. "I suppose I can try and get some sleep for one. The House Elves don't make coffee the way you do, Lenalee!" The girl sighed and bade them goodnight. One by one, everyone else filtered off into their own rooms until only the two adults were left.

"They're doing well," Cloud said.

"I'm impressed with Kanda," Reever admitted. "I'm amazed he's only drawn Mugen once so far." Cloud smiled while Lau Jimin chattered from her shoulder.

"I have classes to teach tomorrow," she said. "I trust you'll listen to Lenalee and actually get some sleep tonight?" He smiled at her.

"I'm about to turn in," he admitted. "Goodnight, Cloud-san, Lau Jimin."

"Goodnight, Reever."

**Sorry this one's significantly shorter than last chapter, but if I went into too much detail over Harry then it would have ended up too long. This ties up the loose ends where Harry does a few more things when he finds out that the others won't (i.e. talk to Sirius). Next chapter will be the start of the champions preparing to deal with the dragons, which I'll probably split into two so it's not rushed, and will lead straight up to the task.**

**Now I have a few more things to say before I disappear. Firstly, unless I update tomorrow (unlikely but possible), there won't be another update until after Christmas. Here's a rough guide as to how my holidays will proceed, so you'll get an idea as to when I'm most likely to update:**

**25****th**** Dec (Christmas Day): General house rule is little to no computer time so I won't be updating anything then.  
26****th**** Dec (Boxing Day): I'm at my Grandparents for most of the day and will have to socialise, so I won't be updating then.  
28****th**** Dec – 1****st**** Jan: I'm at my other Grandparents and so will be expected to socialise. There is a chance of an update during this period if I get enough downtime.  
4****th**** Jan – 11****th****/12****th**** Jan: I'm going to Wales with my Dad. While I'm going to be spending most of it on my laptop in the hotel while he's at work I've been told that the wi-fi is unreliable up there, so while I might get a chapter or two typed up then, there's no promise I'll be able to upload it.  
13****th**** Jan: Semester 2 of uni starts so it'll be back to typing fanfic when I'm not doing assignments.**

**Replies to Guest reviews:**

Skorm**: I don't speak Spanish (never studied it) so I had to resort to Google Translate, as you probably expected. I'm aware that I'm focusing more on Harry and while I'm trying not to, it's easier to write because the whole book is from his PoV so there's usually more for me to say (which is why I've been asking for help concerning the other Champions' downtimes so I can rectify the imbalance). Thanks for the review!**

ghostmistwho**: I know you're not a Guest, but I couldn't reply via PM because you've got it disabled. I'm just seeing how the chapters flow at the moment. Glad you liked the chapter! Thanks for the review!**

**Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (in case I can't update again before then)!**

**Tsari**


	11. Preparation: Harry and Krum

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 11 – Preparation (Harry and Krum)

The next morning, Harry's mind was in a whirl. How was he supposed to deal with the dragon? He walked down to breakfast in a daze; he'd rather have gone straight outside for some fresh air, but he had to meet up with Kanda first and after last night Harry didn't want to annoy him. His guard was no louder than usual when he sat next to him, Hermione on his other side, and he grabbed food before gesturing to his companions that he wanted to eat elsewhere. Kanda seemed to have already eaten, and Hermione quickly loaded her own napkin with food before Harry led the way outside.

"So what happened last night?" Hermione asked quietly once they were away from everyone else.

"Dragons," Harry said quietly. "And Sirius said that Karkaroff's a Death Eater-"

"Moyashi's watching him," Kanda growled, unusually entering the conversation.

"Kanda's right," Hermione said. "We can worry about that later. What was that about dragons?"

"That's what Hagrid showed me," Harry said. "It's the First Task. I've got to get past a dragon, or something like that. Sirius said a simple spell is all I need…" He didn't need to read minds to know what Hermione's response would be.

"Then let's go to the library," she said. "If there's any information, it'll be there." Any other time, Harry would have groaned at the idea of spending so much time in the library, but he didn't really want to experience death by dragon so the library it was. They finished their food quickly before heading into the large room. Harry noticed that Kanda wasn't a fan of the library, aside from the silence. He also offered no help in locating books, so Harry and Hermione pulled down every dragon-related book they would find before sitting to read it. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed Kanda sit in a meditative pose, as he tended to do when they were there.

"Talon-clipping by charms… treating scale rot…" Harry sighed. "This is no good. This is for nutters like Hagrid that want to look after the things."

"_Dragons are extremely difficult to slay, owing to the ancient magic that imbues their thick hides, which none but the most powerful spells can penetrate…_" Hermione murmured. "But Sirius said a simple spell would do…"

"Let's try some simple spellbooks, then," Harry said, throwing aside _Men Who Love Dragons Too Much_ and heading off to the respective shelves. Kanda silently stood and followed him, but again refused to help him carry any books.

They returned to the table with a pile of spellbooks, set them down and began to flick through each one in turn with Hermione whispering non-stop beside him.

"Well there are Switching Spells, but what's the point in Switching it? Unless you swapped it's fangs for wine gums or something, that would make it less dangerous… the trouble is, like that book said, not much is going to get through a dragon's hide… I'd say transfigure it, but something that big you haven't got a hope, I doubt even Professor McGonagall… unless you're supposed to put the spell on yourself? Maybe to give yourself extra powers? But they're not simple spells, I mean, we haven't done any of those in class, I only know about them because I've been doing practise O. W. L. papers…"

"Hermione," Harry said through gritted teeth, "will you shut up for a bit, please? I'm trying to concentrate." She did so, but then his head was filled with a buzzing sound which refused to let him concentrate as he attempted to read the index of _Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed_.

"Oh, no, he's back _again_. Why can't he read on his stupid ship?" Hermione muttered angrily as Viktor Krum slouched in, followed by Allen, who smiled at them before glaring at Kanda, who glared right back. Krum glanced over at them before settling down with his own pile of books. Were they on dragons? Harry couldn't tell. "Come on, Harry, we'll go back to the common room… his fan club'll be here in a moment, twittering away…" Harry began to move but paused as he saw the two Rōzukurosu Academy students share an understanding look before Kanda turned to follow them.

"Try not to overload your brain, Moyashi," Kanda said as they passed each other.

"It's _Allen_, BaKanda!" the white haired boy retorted after his retreating back. Harry would never understand those two. Kanda had made it sound last night in the conversation with Sirius that he trusted Allen to do his job, and do it well, but when they were together Harry had never seen them have a civil conversation. Well, not one without an underlying tone of tension, anyway. And that look… He had no idea what it meant, but an understanding had passed between them; that much was obvious. He heard Hermione mutter somewhat angrily and noticed a gang of girls walking past them into the library. One of them had a Bulgarian scarf around her waist, leaving no confusion as to why they were there.

That night sleep alluded Harry as he tossed and turned, a black dragon rearing whenever he closed his eyes and the enigma that was Kanda and Allen occupying his mind. By morning, he'd manage to freak himself out enough to consider running away from Hogwarts. This thought haunted him until he entered the Great Hall and realised how much he would miss, never mind the fact that Kanda would never let him. The idea that he'd rather face a dragon than live with the Dursleys was surprisingly calming and he ate his breakfast in preparation for Herbology.

Leaving the Great Hall, he spotted Cedric and remembered that he didn't know about the dragons – was the only one, if he was right and Madame Maxime and Karkaroff had informed their respective students about the dragons.

"Hermione, I'll see you in Herbology," he said, reaching a decision. "Go on, I'll catch up." Kanda eyed him curiously.

"But you'll be late!" she protested.

"I'll catch you up, okay?"

By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs, Cedric was at the top, accompanied by Lavi and surrounded by a group of other sixth-years. Harry didn't want to talk around them – they had made their opinion of him very clear, and it wasn't a good one. He drew his wand and aimed it at Cedric's bag.

"_Diffindo_!"

Cedric's bag split, spilling ink, parchment and books onto the floor.

"Don't bother," Cedric said in an exasperated voice as his friends knelt to help him clean up. "Go on and tell Flitwick I'll be there in a moment." To Harry's relief, they obeyed. Lavi remained behind, giving Harry an appraising look. He knew. Everyone else had left the corridor, so Harry approached Cedric, slipping his wand inside his robe.

"Hi," Cedric said, picking up an ink-splattered _A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration_. "My bag just split… brand new and all…"

"Cedric," Harry interrupted. "The first task is dragons."

"What?" the Hufflepuff asked, looking up at him. Harry noticed that he also had the attention of their guards.

"Dragons," he repeated, glancing up the corridor to check Flitwick wasn't coming to look for Cedric. "They've got four – one for each of us – and we've got to get past them."

Cedric stared at him, panic briefly flaring in his eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"Dead sure," Harry said. "I've seen them."

"But how did you find out? We're not supposed to know…"

"Never mind," Harry said quickly. Hagrid would get in trouble if word got out that he'd shown them to him. "But I'm not the only one that knows. Fleur and Krum will know by now – Maxime and Karkaroff saw them, too."

Cedric straightened, his arms full of inky books and his torn bag over his shoulder, giving Harry an almost suspicious look.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked.

Harry looked at him in disbelief. He was sure that if their roles had been reversed, Cedric would have done exactly the same thing after seeing those beasts.

"It's fair now, isn't it?" he replied. "We all know. I couldn't let you be the only one that didn't."

Cedric was still looking at him slightly suspiciously when Moody clunked up behind him.

"Come with me, Potter," he growled. "Diggory, off you go."

Harry stared apprehensively at the teacher. Had he heard them? "Err, Professor, I'm supposed to be in Herbology-"

"Never mind that, Potter. In my office, please."

Harry followed him, noticing that Kanda's hand had been itching towards Mugen ever since the Defence teacher had appeared, and wondering what Moody wanted. Would he turn him into a ferret like he had Malfoy? Would he report Hagrid to the head teachers?

He and Kanda followed Moody into the office, who shut the door behind them which made Kanda seem almost jumpy, if the stoic samurai could ever be described as such. His normal eye fixed on Harry, while his magical eye seemed more interested in Kanda, who was glaring back. Kanda had never made a secret about disliking Moody, but being in his office like this seemed to agitate him even more than usual.

"That was a very decent thing you did there, Potter," Moody said quietly, shocking Harry. That hadn't been what he had expected. "Sit down." Harry sat in the proffered chair while Kanda remained standing, ignoring the offer. "When a teacher tells you to do something, it's advisable to do so," Moody said in a low voice to the Japanese. Kanda stubbornly remained standing.

"I prefer to stand," he said bluntly. Indeed, Harry had rarely seen the samurai sit unless in the library or Great Hall. He even stood during classes.

Moody shrugged and turned away from him to focus his attention on Harry, although Harry noticed that his magical eye was still keeping an eye on Kanda, who was walking around the room.

"So, found out about the dragons, have you?" Moody said to Harry, who hesitated. He didn't want to sell Hagrid out… "It's alright. Cheating's a traditional part of the tournament. Always has been."

"I didn't cheat," Harry said sharply. "It was… sort of an accident that I found out."

Moody grinned.

"I wasn't accusing you, laddie. I've been telling Dumbledore right from the start. He can be as high-minded as he likes, but you can bet Maxime and Karkaroff won't. They'll want to beat Dumbledore – prove he's only human." He laughed, his magical eye fixed firmly out the back of his skull, where it was still watching Kanda. Suddenly, his face turned dark. "Get away from that, boy." He turned around so that both his eyes were focused on Kanda, who was stood by an interesting trunk with seven keyholes. "That's none of your business."

"Tch," Kanda said – it sounded almost disbelieving – as he obeyed, although Harry noticed that he always kept the trunk in view after that.

"So…" Moody began, facing Harry once again but with his eye still watching Kanda. "What are you going to do about your dragon?"

"I don't know," Harry admitted.

"Well I'm not going to tell you," Moody said. "I'm not going to play favourites. But I will give you two bits of general advice. First, you need to be play to your strengths-"

"But I don't have any," Harry said without thinking.

"You've got strengths if I say you do," Moody growled. "What are you best at?"

"Quidditch," Harry said instantly. "Not that that'll help-"

""That's right," Moody overrode him. "You're a damn good flier, from what I hear."

"Yeah, but…" Harry began. "I don't have a broom."

"My second piece of general advice is to be able to get what you need," Moody continued as if he hadn't spoken. Kanda's eyes narrowed while Harry looked at him blankly, trying to work it out.

"Put it together, boy. It's not that hard," Moody muttered under his breath, causing Kanda's hand to stray in the direction of Mugen's hilt. Then it clicked. He needed to pass the dragon in the air, for which he needed his Firebolt. And for that, he needed…

Moody sent them on their way, passing Harry a note to hand to Professor Sprout.

"You didn't need to tell him," Kanda said bluntly as they made their way to Greenhouse Three. "Lavi was going to, today. We weren't going to let him go in unprepared if everyone else knew." It was the most Kanda had willingly said without someone else beginning the conversation.

"Hermione," Harry whispered after he'd apologised to Professor Sprout and handed her Moody's note. "I need to know how to do a Summoning Charm by tomorrow."

The rest of the day was spent practising in empty classrooms whenever they had spare time. Hermione refused to skip lessons so Harry was forced to attend Divination where he was told that he was due a violent death, not a good omen for the next day's task.

They practised late into the evening, until curfew when Kanda forced them back to the common room.

"But I haven't mastered it yet!" Harry protested.

"Part of my duties is to make sure you obey curfew," Kanda said threateningly. "Now go." They obeyed and moved their practise to the common room. While he never checked, Harry was sure that Kanda was hovering outside to make sure that they weren't going to leave again. By two in the morning he'd finally managed it and was ready to sleep.

The mood of the next day was energetic as the rest of the school looked forwards to the task, which would take place after lunch. As he was eating, Professor McGonagall approached him with his instructions. She looked uncharacteristically nervous as she escorted him and Kanda to the Champions' tent.

"In you go, Potter," she said quietly. "Mr Bagman will explain the rest of the… procedure."

He entered the tent, followed closely by Kanda, to see that he was the last to arrive.

* * *

"Viktor," Karkaroff said when Krum awoke that Sunday morning. "Your first task involves dragons." Krum made no outward reaction but inside the panic set in. Dragons were notoriously difficult to defeat. How was he supposed to deal with one? Gritting his teeth, he nodded and left. He would win this by his own merit, not have his headmaster tell him how to do the tasks.

Emerging from the ship, he avoided his headmaster as he quickly made his way to the Great Hall and Allen. If there was one person he could trust with the information, it was the guard that had probably already been informed.

The white-haired boy was sat at the Slytherin table when he entered, nibbling on some toast. He offered Krum his usual beam of a smile and a verbal greeting once he'd finished his mouthful. The boy's manners were impeccable and rather old fashioned. He would stand, much like the Beauxbatons students, if a female entered a room with the intent of sitting.

"It's basic manners," he'd explained when questioned. "Don't they teach you anything like that at Durmstrang?"

"You get taught to kill, and manners?" Malfoy had asked incredulously. Allen nodded. "That Kanda doesn't seem to use them."

"BaKanda is an idiot with no respect for anyone," Allen had retorted, ending the conversation.

"I vould like to go to the library," Krum informed him as he began his breakfast. Allen didn't seem surprised. Was it because Krum often spent time in there, or did he suspect that Krum knew? Certainly, he showed no confusion at being once again led to the section on Magical Creatures.

The confrontation with Kanda was something that he was getting used to. There were often not-so-polite remarks exchanged between the two if they passed in the corridors, at odds with Allen's usual behaviour, but from what he'd seen of the Japanese, it was also unusual for him to initiate a conversation, even one with the sole purpose of insulting the other. He'd given up trying to understand the Rōzukurosu students some time ago. Ignoring them, he spared Harry's pretty companion a glance before looking over at the books Harry had been reading. Dragons and spellbooks. Apparently Krum wasn't the only one that knew.

Once the Hogwarts students had left, he turned to Allen.

"I know vhat the first task is," he admitted. "Do you?" Allen nodded.

"We were informed last night," he said.

"I don't suppose you know anything that vill help me get past a dragon?" Krum asked hopefully. Allen shook his head.

"I could do it myself," he said confidently. "But even if I was permitted to help you, you wouldn't be able to use it."

"If I can't use it, then why won't you say?" Krum asked. Allen laughed and gestured to a gloved hand.

"My special ability would let me deal with a dragon," he said, glancing around at the others in the library. "Any of the Rōzukurosu students could deal with one." The way he said it made it sound almost as if he had, in the past.

"Even Kanda and his sword?" Krum asked. "It doesn't seem like a veapon that vould damage a dragon." Allen smiled.

"Mugen isn't your average sword," he said. It was definitely comforting to know that his guard was confident in his ability to take down a dragon. But he was the one that had to face the dragon, not Allen, and so he had to find a method that would work for him. The books Harry had retrieved seemed useless. He suspected that the books in their small library on the ship would be more useful, but boarding the ship would mean potentially meeting Karkaroff. The chances of that were slimmer here.

The spellbooks Harry had selected were all basic. Krum doubted that a basic spell would help him deal with the dragon, but picked one up to flick through nonetheless. The lack of curses in the book surprised him momentarily, until he remembered his school's reputation for the Dark Arts. He put the book back down. Those soft spells would be useless against a dragon. Seeing the librarian approaching the large stack, he and Allen quietly volunteered to help her return them to their places. She treated them with a slight smile – an expression that seemed out of place on her face – as they carefully returned all the books.

"I would have thought better of Miss Granger," she said quietly. "But since she's spent more time here with Mr Potter she seems to forget about returning the books. Other things on her mind, I suppose."

All the books back in place, Krum politely inquired as to the whereabouts of books on curses. She pursed her lips before answering.

"Less dangerous curses can be found over there," she said, indicating. "The nasty ones are kept in the restricted section and I'm afraid you need written permission from a Hogwarts Professor to access a specific book within it." He nodded in understanding before heading off to the less dangerous curses. There were several books dedicated to the subject and he quickly selected a few and began to flick through them.

The day's research did not go well, and by the time Krum was back on the ship for the night he was beginning to panic slightly. Karkaroff was not permitted to help him, and he had no intention of attempting to break that rule.

The next morning arrived and Krum knew that he had to find his answer that day. Unfortunately, he had a lesson first thing, so that would be an hour wasted.

Allen met him at the Great Hall, as per usual, and they headed towards the ship's classroom, Krum sitting at the back – his new seat after Allen's uncomfortable experience during their first lesson.

"The subject of today's lesson is dragons," Karkaroff proclaimed, an image of a dragon on the board. Krum narrowed his eyes slightly. That was no coincidence. Beside him, he noticed Allen mask a similar reaction. "Dragons are feared – and rightly so – as one of the most untameable and dangerous magical creatures. They have high intelligence levels for a beast, most of which goes into its cunning."

Krum didn't want to listen. He didn't want to hear his high master tell him how to defeat the dragon. How was that legal? Glad for his seat at the back of the classroom, he began to read a book from the ship's library, concealing it under the desk. Karkaroff would be angry if he noticed, but the book was on dragons and so there was little he could say about it. This book was no more useful than those in Hogwarts' library, he quickly summarised, as it told him more about caring for one than anything else.

"… The hide of a dragon is thick enough to protect it from most spells," Karkaroff said, his voice rising slightly and catching his attention. "Only a very powerful spell, cast by more than one wizard, can penetrate it. That does not mean that they have no weakness. There is one part of their body not covered with the thick hide – their eyes. If one is ever facing a dragon, the eyes are the target you must aim for…"

Krum let his voice fade back out again. Loathe as he was to admit it, it had been a very useful bit of information. All he needed to do was think through his repertoire of spells for one that targeted the eyes. One of those Hogwarts books had contained something like that, but first he needed to finish the lesson. Allen was glowering ever so slightly at Karkaroff. He clearly didn't approve of the blatant cheating that was going on. Part of Krum hoped that he'd report Karkaroff, just to get him off his back about the Tournament, but then suspicion would fall on him and he may be forced to forfeit…

"Viktor," Karkaroff said as he dismissed the class. "Wait behind a moment, please." Allen waited with him as he approached.

"I do not vant to be told exactly how to do this," Krum said firmly before Karkaroff could say anything. "You haff told me more than enough. Allow me to find the answer by myself." Allen shifted slightly and Karkaroff turned to him.

"What do you think, young Walker?" Allen met his gaze evenly.

"Students cannot grow if their answers are always given to them," he said. "If you want Viktor to succeed, let him do so on his own merit." Allen had insisted on calling him by his first name, something that Krum liked. He was Krum to the world, and only those close to him called him anything different.

Karkaroff surveyed the young boy with interest.

"You are wise beyond your years," he said. "Mind that your tongue does not get you in trouble." He turned and swept out of the room.

"Thank you," Krum said. "I did not vant him to tell me vhich curse to use. I vill go to the library and find it for myself." Allen smiled at him.

"Lead the way."

Flicking through the books that he had read yesterday – he was sure there was a curse involving eyes in one of them somewhere – he spied Cedric entering the Library, followed by Lavi. Seeing them, Cedric headed for them and glanced down at the books.

"Harry said that you know the task," he said quietly. Krum nodded.

"I do. But I do not know vhat I am going to do about it, yet." He liked Cedric. The younger boy was clever, but also very polite. Lavi was looking at Allen, a silent conversation seemingly passing between them.

"He also said that Fleur also knows," Cedric continued, looking at their guards. Krum followed suit and the Rōzukurosu students looked up.

"Yes?" Lavi asked innocently. Cedric gave him a look and he sighed. "Yes, yes, I've already told you. All four champions know."

"Why are you telling me this?" Krum asked. Cedric shrugged.

"I was checking if what Harry and Lavi told me was true. I can't find Fleur to ask her, though." Krum shrugged and Cedric turned to leave.

"I like you," Krum said quietly. "You play fair."

"So does Harry," Cedric said, not turning back around. "He's the one that told me about them." He walked off, Lavi right next to him.

Puzzling over the Hogwarts student's behaviour and motive, Krum returned to his book. There, on the page he had just flicked over to, was the spell he wanted.

There was no-one to practise it on, so he merely committed the theory to memory and hoped that his aptitude for getting spells right first time wouldn't fail him against his dragon.

Krum paid little attention to anyone the next day, save his constant companion. The girls that simpered up to him with quills were brushed off nonchalantly as he prepared his mentality. It was him versus the dragon. If he kept his Quidditch mentality he would be fine. There was just no flying or teammates involved in this one.

Lunch came and went, with Krum eating very little while Allen inhaled his usual large portion. He ate slightly more than most people his size, but never seemed to gain weight. Krum envied his metabolism. Eventually, Karkaroff approached him and informed him that it was time to go to the Champion's tent.

"You know what you are doing?" he said urgently as they neared it. Krum nodded confidently, quelling the queasy feeling in his stomach. He was about to face a dragon. A real, fire-breathing, dragon.

Ludo Bagman welcomed him enthusiastically, and as he began to carve a pace out for himself around the tent he noticed that Harry was the only one not yet there. The present guards were huddled in a corner with Professor Nine – receiving last-minute instructions, no doubt.

Harry and Kanda entered a moment later and the Rōzukurosu students went back to their respective champions.

**It's longer than usual, yes, but I didn't want to split it in half purely because otherwise the chapters would be too short and Harry would get too much prominence again, which I'm attempting to avoid, which is why some of his section is slightly compressed. Cedric and Fleur will be next chapter.**

**If I can get my muse in gear (and doesn't pull its story edit errors on me like it did yesterday), I'll be able to update weekly (sometime on a Wednesday is the plan). My profile now contains information on when the next update of all my stories is due and if I'm unable to update on the set day there will be a reason there.**

**Replies to Guest reviews:**

_0100203_**: I'm not asking you to write in English. As long as Google Translate keeps working I won't have a problem; I get reviews in French, too. Thanks for your review!**

_CoO_**: Thanks for the praise :D Good luck in High School (I'm English so I don't know what it's like compared to secondary school/sixth form here but I'm guessing the work's just as bad). Thanks for your review!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Tsari**


	12. Preparation: Cedric and Fleur

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 12 – Preparation (Cedric and Fleur)

Lavi seemed almost distracted, Cedric observed as he arrived for breakfast. It was hidden well, but his one visible eye seemed to flicker from one place to another, mainly the head table.

"Hi," he greeted as he sat next to the redhead. He received a large grin in return as Lavi started piling food onto his plate for him. This had become a regular occurrence and Cedric never failed to be amazed at his memory.

"Hey, Cedric, you done the charms essay for Flitwick yet?" Ailey asked from where she was sat opposite Lavi. He shook his head in the negative and she laughed. "Well, neither have I. Shall we go down to the library after breakfast?" Lavi grinned hopefully and Cedric gave in.

"Sure." Lavi seemed to love the place – he was a Ravenclaw at heart, he was sure. The other boys seemed to be sleeping in and so they headed off after eating. Cedric glanced over at the Ravenclaw table to see the French girls talking with the Chinese; Lenalee was talking animatedly about something and a pretty Chinese girl in the Ravenclaw colours was listening intently. Lavi gently pushed him away.

"That's a table of impossible to get girls," he advised quietly, too quietly for Ailey to hear. "Don't bother."

"So which ones have you tried?" Cedric asked back as they left the Great Hall.

"Lena and Fleur," Lavi admitted. "Lena's brother nearly killed me and Fleur refuses to even look my way."

"Well I wasn't looking at either of them, so I'll be fine," Cedric pointed out. "Besides, neither of them are Hogwarts students."

"You want me to ask Lena about the Chinese one?" Lavi asked, humour in his visible eye.

"What are you two whispering about?" Ailey demanded. "Library. Now."

"You sure you weren't supposed to be Ravenclaw?" Cedric joked as they entered the library. She laughed, remembering just in time to keep her voice down.

"I'm hard-working, not after every bit of information that exists," she pointed out as they headed to the Charms section, pulling out parchment and quills. As was his wont, Lavi gathered up more books to read while they worked. "How many books have you got through so far this month?" Ailey asked him, half-jokingly.

"Thirty eight," Lavi said. "And I'm four-hundred and thirteen pages through this one." He held up a ridiculously thick book entitled _The Wayes and Problemes of Anciente Magyk Scholars_. She shook her head despairingly and returned to her essay. Cedric was used to Lavi's inquisitive nature and ridiculous reading speed by this point, passing a cursory glance over the book titles he'd amassed for the day's reading. He hadn't known Hogwarts had had so many books on the origins of magic and the first users until Lavi had left the library after every visit with arms full of books of the subject.

Glancing up, he noticed that Harry and his female friend, accompanied as always by Kanda, had entered, heading to another area of the library completely. Lavi showed no indication that he knew they were there, but Cedric hoped that was just an act. If someone wanted to attack him he wanted to believe that Lavi would know, even when immersed in books.

"Looks like they've got some Care of Magical Creatures work to do," Lavi suddenly commented, not looking up from his book. With a jolt, Cedric realised that Harry and his companions had entered the magical creatures section. He looked back at his guard and noticed the crinkle of humour around his eyes. He'd known what Cedric was thinking. Reassured, he returned to his essay.

"You're uncanny," Ailey said firmly to Lavi as they left the library hours later, wading through the masses of fangirls that had followed Krum and Allen in some time ago. "How can you know where everyone is when you're reading?" He shrugged.

"If I couldn't, I wouldn't be here," he said. "Only the best of the best were chosen to acts as guards. Moyashi-chan, Yu-chan and Lena can all do it; they don't like reading as much as me, though. Yu-chan likes meditating while Moyashi-chan and Lena will happily talk to anyone that wants to listen." He turned to Cedric. "You don't have any more work to do today. What are you going to do for the rest of the day?"

"I was thinking of getting some flying practise in," the Hufflepuff admitted as Ailey groaned. "Just because there's no Quidditch this year doesn't mean there won't be next year and I need to keep in shape." He looked at Lavi. "Do you want to fly?"

"I've never flown on a broomstick before," Lavi admitted. "But it'll be an interesting experience. Let's go!"

"Boys," Ailey muttered, following them despairingly.

Lavi was a natural on a broom.

"I thought you hadn't flown before," Cedric accused. Lavi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, one hand still firmly holding his broom.

"Well my weapon can be used for flying in a similar manner," he admitted. "Except it prefers to travel in straight lines." Weapons used for flying? Cedric didn't think he'd ever understand. He didn't want to, either, because that would have meant he was in trouble. Maybe on their last day together he could convince Lavi to show him what the mysterious, tiny, hammer could do. It probably required some kind of activation – it was little to no threat in what he assumed was its storage shape.

The other boys found them, then, and they were forced to return to the ground to greet them.

"That had better not have been your first time on a broom," Marvin said. "My pride won't accept that you're better than me after only half an hour." Lavi grinned but didn't answer.

The rest of the day was spent wandering around the grounds, politely greeting both Professor Nine and Hagrid as they watched over the Skrewts. They were disgusting creatures and Cedric was once again thankful that he didn't have to look after them. Poor fourth years. Lavi murmured something to his teacher, who replied equally as quietly, any hopes anyone might have had in eavesdropping foiled by Lau Jimin's loud chattering. Lavi kept a poker face during their quiet conversation, at odds with his usual happy face. No clues to be gained there. He'd just ask later.

He did so later as they headed back to the castle for dinner. Lavi just shook his head.

"You'll find out tomorrow afternoon," he said. "I need to talk to the others first." Cedric presumed that he was referring to his headmaster and schoolmates.

'Tomorrow' came round quickly and Cedric gathered what he needed for his morning lessons before meeting with his companion. Breakfast was its usual affair and soon he and his friends headed to Charms, accompanied as ever by Lavi.

Just as he reached the top of the marble staircase his bag split, sending the contents spilling to the ground. His friends tried to help, but he sent them on ahead. There was no point in them all being late, after all, and he still had Lavi. Speaking of Lavi, the redhead seemed unusually serious about something, following his gaze he spotted Harry hurrying towards him and greeted him accordingly.

"My bag just split," he said by way of explanation as he inwardly despaired over his ink-ruined possessions. Harry's next words startled him.

"Cedric. The first task is dragons."

"What?" He noticed that Lavi and Kanda also seemed surprised at what Harry had said.

"Dragons," Harry repeated and Cedric's heart sank. So he hadn't misheard. The young Gryffindor proceeded to hurriedly explain that he'd seen them. Cedric's only hope was that Harry was messing with him. The boy seemed frustrated at the implication, before saying things that almost convinced him.

"It's only fair." No. No it wasn't fair. Why did he have to face a dragon? The familiar clunking of Moody's wooden leg ended the conversation and he was sent on his way, arms full of inky books, as Harry was led away by the Defence teacher.

"Well that was what I was going to tell you later," Lavi admitted quietly as they paused out of sight of Moody to repair Cedric's bag and do what they could to save its contents. "I asked Professor Nine yesterday if our suspicions were correct and the other three knew, but she didn't know. We knew Harry knew, and Lena and Moyashi reported that Fleur and Krum also knew last night. Technically us telling you would be breaking the rules, but we abide by fair play."

"So everything Harry just said is true?" Cedric asked him, his stomach churning uncomfortably. Lavi nodded.

"Four dragons – one per champion. No, I'm not going to tell you any more than that. You only need to know the basics."

The Charms lesson passed in a blur and Cedric headed to the library to see if he could find anything useful within it. There wasn't, but he did meet Krum and the seeds of what could possibly be called a friendship were sown.

Lunch passed quickly and Cedric zoned out as his friends began to talk amongst themselves as they headed to Transfiguration. The task was tomorrow after lunch. How was he supposed to come up with a solution before then?

Despite his inner turmoil, he managed to focus enough to Professor McGonagall that she never picked on him for a lack of attention. Something she said interested him as they recapped transfiguring objects into animals. Basic stuff, but necessary if they wanted to advance further. As the information mixed with the fear of the dragon an idea began to form. Maybe, just maybe? It would be risky, but then again what wasn't when dealing with massive fire-breathing monsters that could fly. He transfigured his goblet into a rat with little difficulty – Transfiguration had always been a strength of his – as he fine-tuned his plan.

"What are you thinking?" Lavi asked him as they left the Hall. Cedric confided in his quietly and Lavi nodded. He refused to say what the others were thinking of doing, even though Cedric was sure that he knew. After all, how long ago had the others found out?

"Saturday night," Lavi confessed. "Harry found out the same time we did and the other two would have found out slightly later as Madame Maxime and Karkaroff were also present when we were shown."

He spent the rest of the day practising in the confines of his dorm and by nightfall felt confident in his abilities. The next morning passed in another blur as the truth sank in. He was about to face down a dragon. He hadn't even told his friends that he knew what the task was. As Professor Sprout walked him to the Champion's tent he began to regret not saying goodbye to them, just in case. Even Lavi wouldn't be able to take on a dragon, would he?

Bagman greeted him enthusiastically and he did enough to not throw up from nerves, although it was a close call. The girls were already there and he and Fleur exchanged a look of… what? Fear? Understanding? Dread? Probably the latter, but there was probably a dose of 'good luck' in it, too. The remaining Champions entered and his stomach sank even lower, if that was possible.

* * *

Before even departing for breakfast, Madame Maxime asked to speak with her and she followed her headmistress into her office where she took the proffered chair.

"The task involves dragons," the half giantess said in French. "I do not know the particulars, but there is one for each champion and they are nesting mothers."

Fleur froze briefly before giving herself a mental talking to. _You volunteered for this! What did you think it would be? A walk in the park? Get your head out of those naïve fantasies and face reality girl. You have two and a half days to come up with a way to defeat it. Don't waste time in shock._ She gathered herself together and politely thanked her for the forewarning before heading off to the Great Hall for breakfast.

She confided in Lenalee in French, the Chinese girl's knowledge of the language just enough for her to get the message across, and receive confirmation that she also knew what the task entailed. The Ravenclaw students seemed interested, so Lenalee took it upon herself to recount an amusing story involving a suit of armour that went rogue at Rōzukurosu Academy, detailing how it had eaten Kanda's food and the irate Japanese had destroyed it. Soon the table was laughing, sharp minds calculating every scrap of information that had been revealed. It was, of course, well-known that Kanda favoured a sword, although the other three guards all kept their weapons well hidden.

Once the breakfast was finished they headed back to the carriage where Fleur spoke frankly to Lenalee.

"I do not know 'ow I am supposed to get past zis dragon. Will anyzing you 'ave taught me be of use against such a creature?" Lenalee thought for a moment.

"Self defence is best used on other humans," she said. "I don't think it would be effective against such a heavily armoured creature." Fleur sat down to think.

"Zey are nesting mozzers, correct?" She didn't wait for a reply. "So ze task will 'ave somezing to do with ze eggs. Zere is ze Conjunctivitis Curse, but I do not want to 'urt ze dragon if it is possible to avoid doing so." She thought some more. "I need somezing zat will keep ze dragon away from 'er eggs…" Her train of thought continued to whirl within her mind but she had other things to focus on.

"Would you give me anozzer lesson on self-defence?" she asked. "It will help my mind settle so zat I can zink more coherently." Lenalee readily agreed and they entered the room that Madame Maxime had set aside for the practise once it had been revealed so as to avoid other people seeing the Beauxbatons girls doing something so… unfeminine.

Lenalee instructed Fleur to attack her and was impressed with the ferocity. A high kick flew through the air, somehow unhindered by Fleur's skirt, and Lenalee dodged, twirling in order to avoid to punch that followed up. She stayed on the defensive as the French girl twirled around her, successfully mixing feminine grace with dangerous movements as she had been taught. No doubt the boys would have taught her a more direct form of fighting, but this style suited the graceful Beauxbatons girls far better.

Neither girl was injured when they stopped, Fleur unable to land a solid hit on Lenalee and Lenalee refusing to attack this time around. She wanted Fleur in top condition against the dragon, whichever one she ended up facing. They were, however, very sweaty and so headed to the communal baths, Lenalee being lent a towel as usual, to freshen up.

"Blunt force will not work on a dragon," Fleur said suddenly, as they washed. While in Beauxbatons they all had their own en-suites, she was not averse to communal bathing if necessary. Lenalee, being Chinese, was more than happy to bathe in a similar method to her home country and the castle she now lived in. "So I should not even consider zat approach, although I expect the boys will," she added, sighing. "But zat is boys for you. I need to find a feminine approach, one zat not only works, but also befits a champion from an all-girls' school." Lenalee nodded approvingly.

"You are a good singer, _ma sœur_," Gabrielle informed her, joining them in the bath. "I was watching you train," she admitted as an excuse for her sudden presence. "Perhaps you should use our 'eritage to your advantage in ze tasks?" The young girl had no way of knowing what the task was, unless she'd overheard them talking or had been informed of Madame Maxime, but she still knew the right things to say.

"Are you saying I should put it to sleep?" Fleur asked, thinking through the Veela lullabies she knew.

"Put what to sleep?" Gabrielle asked, confused. Fleur shook her head. "You will see Tuesday. I do not want to ruin the surprise for you." She leant over to wash her sister's back, before allowing her to return the favour. Lenalee was already done so they left the water and quickly dressed.

Fleur spent the rest of that day searching through her memories of all the songs her grandmother had taught her. None seemed quite right to deal with something as magical as a dragon until she found one on the last page, so faded she almost missed it.

"This is it!" she breathed after reading through it in her head. She turned her head to Lenalee. "I will try not to affect you, but if you do begin to feel drowsy please stop me." She opened her mouth and began to sing, the melody coming naturally to her as she memorised the words, finding the exact amount of magic that it called for and imbuing her voice with it. This form of magic was wandless, mainly because it was not used by most witches or wizards, but luckily her inheritance meant that she didn't need it to perform spells such as this. As she sang, she noticed idly that Lenalee had neglected to cover her ears. Her impressive boots also seemed to be giving off a green glow in places and she realised that they were protecting her from the effects of the magic. Was her fighting ability linked to them? She was getting distracted, something that would not do.

The rest of the day was spent singing and by nightfall she had mastered the song. Her voice was almost gone, however, and she realised that she would not be able to practise the next day in order to preserve her voice for Tuesday. Lenalee congratulated her warmly on her achievement as she left for the evening.

The next morning her voice was entirely gone and she was heavily reliant on her friends to converse on her behalf. Lenalee just kept talking to her, ignoring that she couldn't talk. Looking around the Great Hall, she quickly identified her fellow champions. Harry seemed agitated and Krum looked determined, while Cedric seemed blissfully ignorant. It seemed clear who knew and who didn't. If not for her Beauxbatons pride and lost voice she would have approached him with the intent of informing him – she did like to play fair, after all, even if she didn't play Quidditch as Krum (and likely the other two boys) did. The combined factors prevented her, however and she watched the boy leave the Hall, accompanied by a group of friends and that insufferable flirt. On second thoughts, no she wouldn't have gone over there; she had no intention of going near that redhead.

Lenalee had slipped into a conversation with Cho and the other Chinese girl's friends. One that stood out was the strawberry-blonde girl that seemed particularly close. Marietta, wasn't it? She seemed adamant on not talking to the French girls, particularly Fleur herself, which saddened her. She'd been told that Ravenclaw was the most intelligent house, so why could this girl not see that the intent of the tournament was not inter-school animosity, but the complete opposite – friendship. Fleur could understand the support going to the two Hogwarts students, after all it makes sense to support your own, but the purposeful shunning of the French was odd. It was overbearing, in fact, and she gestured to Lenalee that she wished to return to the carriage. The Chinese girl got the message immediately and politely excused herself from her conversation.

Her Runes lesson was as interesting as usual. They had moved on from Cuneiform and were now studying the Chinese Oracle Bones. Lenalee also showed great interest, her French now good enough to follow most of the lesson. Indeed, Madame Maxime had called upon her at one point to help translate some of the more modern Chinese. Lenalee had been happy to do so as the other girls copied down the different uses of the bones, as well as how they were interpreted by Chinese wizards and witches in the past. It was yet another fascinating subject as they began to learn how to translate the runes themselves, bringing the subject of the lesson away from Divination or Arithmancy, despite the fact that that had been what the bones had been used for in the past.

Fleur spent the rest of the day resting her voice as she traced Chinese characters, inwardly marvelling at the beauty of them. She reached 龍 and paused at the reminder of the next day's task. 龍, 竜, تنين, dragon. It didn't matter what language was used, they all referred to her next day's trial. Gritting her teeth, she traced the word with her brush, determined to make it perfect. She was nervous, yes, but she must not be afraid of a word. If Lenalee had noticed her hesitation she didn't comment.

The next day came too quickly, and yet too slowly. She got little sleep, aware that the moment she closed her eyes the stuff of nightmares would haunt her with fiery breath and fangs as big as her. She passed through the morning in a daze, brought into sharp relief at lunchtime when she was approached my Madame Maxime, picking at the food her well-meaning friends had placed in front of her.

"It is time," her headmistress said in French. Nodding, she stood, followed by Lenalee, and allowed herself to be led to the champion's tent.

"Do you have a plan?" Madame Maxime asked, still in French. Fleur nodded numbly. She'd eaten little, but what she had wanted to make a reappearance.

"I will do you proud," she promised quietly in the same language. Lenalee touched her hand gently and together they entered the tent, realising that they were first as Ludo Bagman greeted them far too cheerfully. Fleur found a seat and Lenalee stood behind her, silently massaging her shoulders to relax her.

She stopped when the boys arrived and soon – all too soon – it was time for their fates to be revealed.

**I wasn't certain I'd get this up today, but I managed it so yay me :D**

**The languages Fleur thinks 'dragon' in are Chinese, Japanese, Arabic and French/English respectively (If I got anything wrong please tell me). For those of you unaware, I do Archaeology at university so everything I mention in Fleur's Runes lessons should be accurate, if edited slightly to add in the magical elements.**

**Also, kudos to anyone that spotted the Homestuck reference.**

**The next question: Should I put all the dragon 'fights' in one chapter or spread them out in 2-4 chapters like I have with the different PoVs before?**

**Thanks for reading and see you next week!**

**Tsari**


	13. Facing the Dragons

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 13 – Facing the Dragons

"Well, now we're all here – time to fill you in!" Bagman said brightly, seemingly oblivious to the palpable fear the champions were emitting. "When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag-" he held up a bag of purple silk and shook it at them "-from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different – er – varieties you see. And I have to tell you something else to … ah yes … your task is to _collect the golden egg_!"

The exorcists barely refrained from rolling their eyes. Could he have been any more obvious about the whole thing? Looking round at their charges they could see that Harry was wearing all his emotions on his sleeve – primarily panic – while Cedric looked green as he paced the tent and Fleur and Krum were doing a slightly better job than Harry at concealing their own terror.

"Remember," Cloud said to them quietly. "The only time you can interfere is if we're attacked or if their opponent breaks free, in which case your primary task is to get them out of there while the wizards deal with her." They nodded solemnly. The latter was the more frightening of the two, for them. While they knew they were perfectly capable of dealing with a dragon, it would mean revealing their Innocence to all the assembled wizards and witches watching, which in turn would lead to more awkward questions.

Eventually, there was a signal to the exhaustingly cheery Ludo Bagman and he called all the champions to him, pulling open the top of the drawstring bag.

"Ladies first," he said, offering Fleur the bag. Her hand wasn't quite still as it withdrew a model of a Welsh Green, a number '2' hung around its neck. Krum went next, withdrawing number '3' – the Chinese Fireball. Cedric withdrew the Swedish Short-Snout, confirming him as first into the arena, and Harry, his face displaying all too clearly that he knew what was coming, withdrew the Hungarian Horntail – the last dragon into the arena.

Unbidden, Lavi went to stand next to Cedric as Bagman explained the order of their encounters, and the cue Cedric was to listen for – the whistle. Kanda stalked off as Harry was led outside the tent by Bagman, bringing him back in just as the whistle went and Cedric headed out, Lavi's hand briefly resting on his shoulder in a gesture of confidence.

"You'll be fine," he assured the younger boy.

"You're not allowed to help, are you?" Cedric asked him, glancing nervously at the pastel-blue dragon that he was approaching.

"Only in exceptional circumstances," Lavi admitted. "Circumstances you really don't want to experience. So don't expect me. If I join in you're in deep trouble." Cedric nodded – his face still had a green tinge.

"See you the other side of the dragon, then," he muttered as Lavi went to stand with the dragon experts.

The redheaded exorcist watched the small, seemingly insignificant human approach the blue-grey monstrosity that was the Swedish Short-Snout carefully.

"These tasks are too cruel," a redheaded dragon expert muttered – Charlie Weasley. "I just hope nothing goes wrong." Lavi couldn't help but nod in agreement.

There was a roar of indignation as the dragon spotted the threat to her eggs and a jet of fire shot towards Cedric, who dodged behind a rock just in time for the icy flames to shoot past him. Lavi was torn between watching Cedric and watching the dragon as she paced furiously, all too aware that her flames had missed, but unwilling to leave her clutch unguarded even for a moment just to finish him off.

A yap from where Cedric was hiding was enough to capture everyone's attention as he transfigured a nearby rock into a chocolate Labrador, who was immediately shooed into the dragon's line of sight. The dragon narrowed her eyes, and Lavi could tell that she knew this wasn't the same threat that had disappeared behind the rock. The dog barked defiantly at her before yelping as it sprinted away from the flames, tail tucked firmly between its legs. The pathetic noises it was making were succeeding in drawing the attention of the dragon until it was the only thing she was interested in. The dog bounded towards her – a completely un-dog-like thing to do that got Lavi summarising that Cedric was somehow in control of the actions of the dog. Glancing over at the rock he realised that Cedric hadn't moved yet and he cursed inwardly. If Cedric didn't move soon the dragon would remember his existence and ignore the dog.

Eventually, he seemed to gather the courage to move, to deafening cheers from the audience. Lavi had subconsciously been memorising Bagman's commentary, but unless he actually said something interesting and relevant he was largely ignoring it in favour of his own, internal commentary. Unfortunately, the noise of the audience gained the attention of the dragon and she spotted Cedric, just yards away from the golden egg that glittered in the heart of her clutch. The wizards certainly hadn't been kind with the placement. The roar of anger shook the ground and Cedric, realising that he was dead if he didn't move, sprinted for the egg as fast as he could move. Another jet of blue flames threatened to engulf him, but she'd misjudged the speed of the threat, only singing his robe as he outran it. Another jet of flames caught the side of his face and Lavi tensed as Cedric bit back a scream, diving for the golden egg and snatching it up in one fluid movement. The moment the wizards realised that he had succeeded the task, multiple beams of red light shot towards to enraged dragon, stunning her as Lavi darted forwards to assist Cedric, who stood tall, half his face covered in a horrific burn, as he held the egg into the air to cheers from the audience.

"Very good indeed!" Bagman shouted, his voice magically-enhanced. "And now, the scores from the judges!"

Madame Maxime was first to allow a ribbon to shoot out of her wand, forming a silver seven. Mr Crouch was next, awarding an eight. Ludo Bagman, too, awarded an eight, as did Professor Dumbledore and Reever (Lavi's keen eye noticed that Professor Flitwick, cleverly hidden behind the table, was actually the one to cast the spell). Karkaroff's wand emitted a number six, giving Cedric a total score of forty-five out of a possible sixty.

"Well done!" Lavi said encouragingly as he led Cedric to where Madame Pomfrey was waiting less than patiently.

"I got burnt," Cedric pointed out, clutching his egg like it was a lifeline.

"You were facing a dragon," Lavi deadpanned. "What did you expect?" Cedric laughed before wincing.

"I suppose," he said ruefully. "At least I passed the task." They looked back to see a green dragon – the Welsh Green – being led into the arena. "That doesn't look friendly, either. At least I didn't get a worse dragon than anyone else."

"I think Harry's got that honour," Lavi said, serious. "When we were shown the dragons they said that was the worst." Cedric looked relieved and concerned at the same time, if that was possible, as Madame Pomfrey pulled him into the tent, Lavi right behind them.

* * *

Lenalee gently led Fleur out into the arena as the whistle blew a second time. The commentary had not done anything to ease the remaining champions' nerves.

"You'll do fine," she assured her charge, who didn't look convinced.

"'Ow am I supposed to sing a dragon to sleep? It was a stupid idea," Fleur muttered, decidedly white.

"It is a wonderful idea," Lenalee told her. "You'll be fine."

"Will you 'elp if it goes wrong?" Fleur asked, catching a glimpse of her adversary and faltering.

"If the conditions for my help are met then it's no longer under the category of 'gone wrong', but 'ridiculously out of hand'," Lenalee said seriously. "You don't want to see me helping you." Fleur nodded, glancing back at the green dragon.

"I can do zis," Lenalee heard her mutter as she squared her back and headed straight for the dragon's den. She stopped a little out of the dragon's sight and, taking a deep breath, began to sing.

Her voice was magnificent, Lenalee decided as she felt her Innocence attempt to activate to defend her from the potent spell. Beside her, the wizards had stuffed their ears with anything they could – mainly fingers – so as to not fall victim to it. The dragon heard the voice and sensed the magic, turning her head to try and locate the source. Fleur stepped into her line of sight and she narrowed her eyes, fighting the enchantment which had strengthened with nothing blocking the sound. One song wasn't enough to put her to sleep, however, and Fleur was forced to repeat it several times before the dragon's eyes closed and she slumped to the ground, leaving her eggs partially uncovered. Luckily, the golden egg was one of the few that was accessible under the dragon's belly.

Relief was plain on Fleur's face as she began to walk forwards, still singing, heading towards the prize, and her ticket out of the arena. A snore from the dragon made her jump, her voice wavering ever so slightly, and the enchantment lifted just enough for the next snore to contain a stream of fire, which she couldn't completely avoid, and her skirt caught alight. She was forced to stop singing temporarily to extinguish it and that was all the dragon needed to break her way out of the spell. Fleur dodged the swipe of the nearest claw, evading neatly as she'd been taught in Lenalee's lessons, and gained enough distance to safely begin singing again. Her voice was weaker, but the seeds of the enchantment had already been planted and it wasn't long before she could safely approach the eggs and claim the golden one. The moment she picked it up, the wizards accompanying Lenalee hurried forwards to remove the Welsh Green from the arena and Lenalee herself dashed (maybe she let her Innocence help her speed ever so slightly) towards the older girl, putting an arm around her shoulder and guiding her towards where the judges were getting ready to score her.

Madame Maxime proudly shot an eight into the air, followed by Mr Crouch, Mr Bagman, Professor Dumbledore and Reever. Professor Karkaroff, however, only awarded a seven.

"Forty-seven!" Lenalee congratulated her. "Well done!" Fleur only shrugged, her voice seemingly exhausted. Madame Pomfrey beckoned them over impatiently so they headed to the makeshift infirmary to check Fleur's health.

* * *

Viktor didn't say a word as he was summoned by the whistle, and Allen followed suit. To be perfectly honest, he didn't know what he could say. What did you say to someone before they faced a dragon? 'Don't worry, you'll be fine'? Allen was many things, but he wasn't anywhere near enough of an optimist to consider saying something that brash. Over-confidence was the last thing Viktor needed at this point. The red dragon thrashed its tail menacingly as they approached and all too soon Allen had to leave his side and watch him take down the dragon.

"Good luck," he permitted himself to say quietly before heading to where two of his fellow exorcists had stood before him, and Kanda would stand later.

He watched Viktor stride boldly up towards the dragon and proclaim what was presumably the incantation for the Conjunctivitis Curse. The dragon let out a high pitched squeal as her eyes swelled shut, trampling around and thrashing her tail in agony. Allen couldn't help but wince. He hated to see suffering, which was his main reason for being an exorcist, after all, and the tortured screams of the dragon were almost too much to bare. Nonetheless, he kept a close eye on the chain around her neck, just in case the thrashing broke it.

There was the crushing sound made when something fragile breaks and Allen had to keep from being violently sick as he watched the dragon trample her own eggs in her agony. How..? How could a mother do that, even when in that much pain? The tail whipped around and managed to collide with Viktor as he tried to get past her, sending him flying backwards. Immediately she turned in that direction and unleashed a torrent of fire. She misjudged the direction slightly, however, and Viktor had already begun moving, away from the stream of fire and vainly trying to get past the wild trampling legs in order to get at the glint of gold that was just visible amongst the fragments of eggs, and the blood of the now-deceased foetuses. Somehow, it and the eggs nearest to it were completely unharmed by her rampage. Eventually, Viktor spotted an opening and ran for it, rolling under the sweeping tail and grabbing it. Immediately Allen was there, determinedly refusing to notice the mess beneath his feet, and guided him away from where the dragon experts were subduing the distraught mother dragon.

They halted in front of the judges, awaiting their scores. Madame Maxime revealed a seven, as Mr Crouch, Mr Bagman, Professor Dumbledore and Reever revealed eights. Professor Karkaroff revealed a ten, gaining raucous applause from the Durmstrang crowd. Allen noticed a slight scowl on Viktor's face as he mouthed 'forty-nine'. Madame Pomfrey beckoned them towards her, assessing his ribs from where he had been struck with a scowl.

* * *

Kanda, although in a meditative pose, was listening intently to what was going on around him. Harry had begun to pace, which he found very irritating. He refrained from snapping purely because he'd been told by Cloud that Harry was not used to dealing with dangerous creatures and therefore his nerves were to be both accepted and welcomed. And that a few words of encouragement wouldn't go amiss. Sensing the Moyashi and his charge leaving the dragon field, he stood, walking over to Harry as he waited for them to be summoned into the arena. He wasn't good at encouragement – his constant interactions with Moyashi were enough to prove that. He could only boost Lenalee's confidence when necessary because he'd known her for most of this lifetime. But doing nothing could prove counter-productive to his mission, so he reluctantly put a hand on the trembling boy's shoulder.

"Kanda?" Harry asked, turning to him.

"You shouldn't show your fear so easily," he said sternly. "Prove your place in this tournament. Just because you don't want to be here doesn't mean you can act like it's the worst thing that's ever happened to you."

The whistle blew and Kanda let his hand drop, walking towards the arena, knowing that, reluctantly or not, Harry would follow.

"But-" Harry started as he caught up.

"You have a plan," Kanda reminded him. Harry blinked, as if he'd forgotten. They reached the edge of the arena and as Harry began to walk away, Kanda spoke again.

"Just don't die." It was the highest encouragement he could give, and in the just under a month Harry had been in his presence, he expected the young boy to understand that. The half-smile Harry gave him before raising his wand was enough to convey that yes, he had.

Kanda melted into the shadows around the wizards to watch. He'd done his duty and kept Harry from becoming a quivering wreck, thereby largely increasing his chances of survival. He just hoped that was the last time he'd have to do it. He watched the boy mount his broomstick and shoot off into the air; the action looked like Lavi with his Hammer, but at the same time the elegance was more like Lenalee and her Dark Boots. Little as he knew about flying, he did recognise that Harry was skilled in it – the man with the foul aura had been right about that – as he dodged fire successfully, and the tail not quite as well, before coaxing the dragon into taking flight. Eventually she spread her wings and soared into the air, her chain stretching out below her. Kanda could barely see as Harry plummeted to the ground, snatching up the egg in a flash of black and gold. He saw enough, however, and darted forwards as Harry landed, followed by the wizards to wanted to contain the dragon.

Hagrid almost gave away that Harry had known about the dragons, thankfully cut off by Harry himself – Kanda didn't want to deal with any hassle about his already-illegal champion doing something else illegal – before the redhead that had been ignoring Harry for the past few weeks ran up, followed by Hermione. The apology almost made Kanda scoff, but Harry beamed and Hermione ran off in tears – he would never understand women – while Ron dragged Harry towards the judges, explaining the system. Kanda just wished he'd shut up.

Madame Maxime awarded Harry an eight. "I suppose she took marks off for your shoulder…" Ron explained. Mr Crouch revealed a nine "Looking good!". Bagman revealed a ten, to Harry's disbelief. Kanda silently agreed with Ron's exclamation telling him not to complain. The boy was even worse than Moyashi at times when it came to accepting praise. Dumbledore and Reever both awarded nines, before Karkaroff revealed a four, to Ron's obvious indignation. Kanda just thought the man was petty.

"Forty-nine!" one of the dragon-wizards exclaimed. "You're tied in first place, Harry! You and Krum!" He looked around and Kanda assumed he was related to either Ron or Usagi in some way, due to the red hair. "Oh yeah, once you're done with Madame Pomfrey, you're wanted at the champions' tent." Kanda nodded to him and sternly guided the two teenagers towards the tent where Madame Pomfrey quickly patched him up before they re-joined the other champions and exorcists in the tent. Cloud had also re-appeared.

"Well done, all of you!" Bagman said all too cheerfully, considering the champions had received burns, cuts and cracked ribs. Fleur had escaped with only a ruined skirt and sore throat. "Now, just a few quick words. You've got a nice long break before the second task, which will take place at half past nine in the morning of the twenty-fourth of February… but we're giving you something to think about in the meantime! If you look down at those golden eggs you're holding, you will see that they open… see the hinges there? You need to solve the clue inside the egg because it will tell you what the next task is, and enable you to prepare for it! All clear? Sure? Well, off you go then!"

He practically bounced out of the tent, to the irritance of some of the exorcists and champions.

"Just a quick word of congratulations," Cloud cut in. "All eight of you did admirably. Fleur, Krum, Cedric, Harry… congratulations on passing the first task with extremely respectable scores, and remaining more or less in one piece." She turned to the exorcists. "If you four didn't think I didn't see the encouragement you gave your respective charges, then you're mistaken. It's good to see you're bonding well with them, but didn't hinder their performance in the task. Your interference would have caused them to instantly fail, so I am glad that you accepted the rules that except in exceptional circumstances you were not to intervene."

"BaKanda knows how to give encouragement?" Allen asked.

"Shut up, Moyashi!" Kanda spat, glaring at him as he let his handgrip Mugen's hilt.

"Now, now, you two," Lavi interrupted. "I know it's a shock to realise Yu-chan has a heart, Moyashi-chan, but we don't want to traumatise the people we're supposed to be protecting now, do we?"

"Stay out of this or die," the other males said threateningly.

"Boys!" Lenalee exclaimed. "Stop it. Now." They turned to look her, Allen apologetically while Kanda maintained a neutral face. "Now why don't we escort these four back up to the castle, like we're supposed to?"

"An excellent idea, Lenalee," Cloud said, glaring at the boys. "Shall we proceed?"

Kanda could have sworn he heard Cedric ask the other boys if their guards were always like that, to which he received a quiet positive, while Fleur laughed hoarsely. They were joined by Ron as they headed up, who had been waiting for Harry outside the tent, and later Gabrielle, who insisted on embracing her sister tightly, ignoring the rasped protests.

"Can I have a word, Harry?" Rita Skeeter asked, running up to them, Quick-Quotes Quill in hand. "How you felt facing that dragon. And how do you feel now about the fairness of the scoring?" Kanda made to reach for his sword, but Harry was quicker.

"Yeah, you can have a word," he said savagely. "_Goodbye_." The laughter of the Champions and (most) of their companions could be heard all the way up to the castle.

**Sorry if you expected more out of the dragon fights, but Ron describes them all in fair detail the books so I was quite limited with what I could do (Harry's was meant to be really short because it is in the book "Youngest champion to get his egg" and all that stuff – the film lengthens it ridiculously). The whole chapter is supposed to be from the PoV of the exorcists, mainly because I haven't given them much attention recently and they're great fun to write. As for Kanda encouraging Harry – he has been known to try to support people out of the goodness of his heart (see the end of the Ghost of Mater arc with Allen, and when Lenalee's hiding from Rouvellier, and don't even get me started on Alma) – and he also really doesn't want Harry to die because it will technically mean he fails his mission, even if it is during one of the tasks.**

**I almost forgot Rita at the end *slaps self*. That's hands-down the best interview of the book, as well! And yes, I'm adding in a bit more bonding between the champions, because that gives me more chances to also write scenes with both the champions and exorcists around, which I'm currently lacking.**

**A note about their scores: Harry canonically get 40 (8 from Madame Maxime, 9 from Mr Crouch, 10 from Bagman, 9 from Dumbledore and 4 from Karkaroff) and, as he is tied with Krum, Krum must also get 40 points for this task. At the end of the second task, Harry and Cedric are tied with 85 points each. Cedric got 47 points in Task 2, therefore he must get 38 in Task 1. Fleur's score for Task 1 is never mentioned, but her total score must be less than 65 because in Task 2 she gets 25, and she gets lower than 40 in Task 1. Considering her performance in Task 1 always seemed impressive to me and I think her abilities are too downplayed by JKR, I've marked her fairly highly (she doesn't actually get burnt, hence higher than Cedric). Of course, each of these marks are out of 50, because there are five judges. As I've added a sixth judge (Reever) I needed to give them higher points (out of 60). Because Reever knows little about the world of wizards, he just gives roughly the same mark as the unbiased judges (who I view as being Dumbledore and Mr Crouch – Karkaroff is heavily biased in favour of Krum, as is Bagman to Harry, and Madame Maxime gives a slightly lower mark to Harry than Dumbledore and Mr Crouch do although she's still reasonably fair). Hence, instead of the final scores being Harry and Krum: 40, Cedric: 38 and Fleur: (unconfirmed) they became Harry and Krum: 49, Fleur: 47 and Cedric: 45 (Fleur is marked higher than Cedric because otherwise it means she loses all the tasks and I like her too much to accept that, and because she doesn't get injured). I hope this clears up any questions you may have had concerning this (yes this does mean that Task 2's scores will also be edited to involve Reever).**

**Replies to Guest reviews:**

_Christi_**: I'm trying not to focus too much on one particular person (especially not Harry because we already know what he does this year). Thanks for your review!**

_Guestie_**: I may not know what High School's like, but I have survived Primary School, an all-girls' Secondary School and three years of Sixth Form College and am now having to get through University. I'm willing to bet that there's probably as much drama in that as there is in the education you've experienced.**

**Oh yeah, if anyone's interested I'm now accepting fic requests. More details are on my profile.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Tsari**


	14. The After Parties

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 14 – The After Parties

Ron wouldn't stop talking now that he and Harry were reconciled, a fact that annoyed Kanda to no end. Hermione had gained his respect over the past month for being logical and anything but optimistic, as well as knowing when to shut up. It transpired that Ron was none of these things and Kanda wanted nothing more than to run him through with Mugen at this particular point in time, as they separated from the other champions and exorcists to head to the Owlery. Unfortunately, that would both be counter-productive to his mission (the sudden death of his newly-reinstated best friend at the hands of his bodyguard for no reason pertaining to Harry's own health would definitely have an effect on his psyche, as well as make him fear Kanda and no longer trust him to keep him safe) and would get him in a lot of trouble with Cloud and Reever, and by extension Komui and the rest of the Order. He'd been there once before, when he'd regained his memories, and had no wish to repeat the experience. Dying was not fun, especially when it was supposed to be permanent even for him.

The Owlery was usually a pleasant place, but the presence of one twittering, tiny owl that seemed incapable of staying still made Kanda really wish that he needn't be around Harry all the time before curfew. To make things worse, the irritating ball of feathers – Pig, apparently; stupid name for an owl – had collided with Mugen's hilt once already, and its talons kept getting caught in his hair.

"Catch this thing, now," he ordered coldly as it somehow caught the end of his ponytail in its beak. The thing was worse than Timcanpy – at least that golden pet of Moyashi's had a use other than irritating the nearest person (usually Kanda) even if it did seem to delight in biting his hair. Immediately, Ron made a lunge for the irritance but missed as it flew to one side, where thankfully Harry was able to grab it. Ron stumbled and overbalanced, leading to him almost falling on top of Kanda. Almost because the exorcist spotted the danger just before it happened and managed to dodge, leaving Ron to land face-first on the less-than-clean floor.

"What was that for?" Ron asked, spitting feathers out of his mouth. "You're a bodyguard right? Shouldn't you be stopping us falling over?"

"Only Harry," Kanda informed him. "And only if letting him fall would result in a serious injury. I am a guard, not a babysitter."

"He's right!" Hermione scolded her redheaded friend. "We're old enough to be able to look after ourselves!"

"Guys," Harry said wearily, interrupting before the inevitable argument happened. "Let's just send the letter and get out of here." Kanda couldn't agree more, even if he kept his face stoic. Ron turned to Hermione as Harry fastened the rather lengthy letter to Pig's leg.

"You're just backing him up because you've got a crush!" he hissed, clearly not intending for Kanda to hear him. Hermione didn't even blush.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ronald," she replied, slightly louder, glancing over at Kanda, who smirked. "And he heard you." Ron paled but Kanda ignored him, instead turning to watch the small owl struggle out of the window.

"Let's go," Harry said, apparently oblivious to the whispers of his friends. They followed him back to the common room, where Kanda considered leaving. The revelling that was almost guaranteed to occur behind that door was not something he wanted to experience. He sighed inwardly, realising that it wasn't curfew yet and so he had no excuse for leaving.

As he'd predicted, the red and gold room had been lavishly decorated with even more Gryffindor banners and mountains of not so healthy food littered the tables. To top it all off, the room was packed with students, all cheering and being generally too loud. As Harry wandered into the heart of the celebration Kanda noticed the redheaded twins approaching him. A death-glare didn't put them off and so he was forced to acknowledge them when they stopped in front of him, wisely not standing in the way of his view of Harry.

"Just thought we should warn you," one of them began.

"The custard creams are enchanted to turn whoever eats them into a canary for a few minutes," the other finished.

"So if Harry transforms," the first began.

"That's why and please don't kill us," the other begged. Kanda nodded, thanking them for the warning – he had been informed that they were pranksters – silently. He'd just have to keep Harry away from that particular plate and all would be well.

Kanda didn't expect any of the students to suddenly transform into akuma – Moyashi had been constantly checking for any of the earl's creations since he'd got there and so far the students remained curse-free – so he allowed himself to somewhat relax, entering a semi-meditative state as he watched Harry interact with those around him. The twins had seen fit to inform Harry of the enchanted creams as well, judging by the way he and his companions were avoiding them, aside from one student, who had erupted into a canary at some point.

Eventually there were chants of 'Open it!' and the egg Harry had retrieved from the Horntail was presented to the young champion. Kanda gritted his teeth, a description of the sound within emerging from a memory concerning Mr Crouch, who had seen fit to warn them. He wasn't looking forwards to Harry attempting to decipher it in his presence.

Despite his fore-warning, he still jumped as the sound of someone screaming as if they were being tortured – a sound Kanda was all-too familiar with due to his own dark past – emerged from the innocent-looking egg. Covering his ears, like the rest of the room, he darted towards it and temporarily left his ears unguarded as he slammed it shut. Breathing heavily (for him – no-one else would have been able to notice the difference, except perhaps that damned Usagi) he handed it back to Harry with a warning glare in his eyes. _Warn me before you open that thing in my presence._ Harry gave an almost unnoticeable nod in recognition as the rest of the room recovered from the shock.

"Thanks, man," a dark-skinned boy said, moving to pat him on the back before realising who he was talking to. Kanda 'che'd' as he headed back to the edge of the room, leaving the students to try and puzzle out what it was supposed to mean.

* * *

The position of the Hufflepuff common room had one great advantage, Lavi surmised as he followed Cedric down the stairs. Especially at times like this, where the students had a great excuse to celebrate. They were right next to the kitchens, which no-self-respecting Hufflepuff would ever avoid if there was any reason to visit. Now Lavi could see several of the students carrying armloads of food into their common room – a flash of red indicated a certain pair of Gryffindor twins grabbing their own provisions (no doubt for Gryffindor's party) – while Cedric's close friends ushered them inside, not allowing either of them to assist with the food-gathering.

"So what's in the egg?" Marvin asked. Lavi inwardly winced, hoping that Mr Crouch had been exaggerating. Cedric shrugged, inspecting it for the hinges that would open it. He located them and pulled it open. Immediately a piercing shriek split the air, all the Hufflepuffs in the vicinity (and Lavi) stuffing their fingers in their ears to attempt to block out the horrible sound. Seeing that no-one else was going to do anything about it, Lavi bravely sacrificed his own hearing – wishing greatly that Marie was with him at this particular moment in time – to pick up the egg and snap it shut.

"What was that?" Ailey exclaimed unnecessarily loudly, before realising that she no longer had to compete with the egg.

"Screaming?" David answered sarcastically. "I have no idea," he added more seriously.

"Can we just, you know, enjoy the party before analysing that horrific noise?" Warren begged.

"Don't you dare open that thing at night," Dillan warned Cedric. "Or I may have to kill you."

"Please don't," Lavi smiled. "Otherwise I'd have to hurt you and I don't want to do that."

"Quit with the death threats and get over here!" a seventh-year Prefect ordered. "Someone put that wretched thing away. It's too depressing for a celebratory party!" Cedric nodded and moved to head to his room when David grabbed his arm.

"You're the celebrity," he said. "You stay here. I'll take it up."

"Open it and you die," his friends warned him solemnly. He laughed.

"I like keeping my hearing!" he informed them. "Back in a tic!"

Lavi grinned at the friendly banter – he hoped it was banter, otherwise they wouldn't survive the year surrounded by the paranoid exorcists – as Warren grabbed Cedric's arm and pulled him into the heart of the crowd, where he was piled with food and drink. Lavi followed, chuckling at the Hufflepuffs' way of partying. There was lots of laughter and practical jokes (Cedric was only ever targeted by the harmless ones, like an attack by a load of loose feathers which stuck to him, making him seem like a very strange bird. Lavi analysed the feathers for any signs of anything that shouldn't be there, or would be detrimental to Cedric's health, before joining in that laughter as the champion began rolling around on the ground in a comedic attempt to get them off. Of course, it was only a simple and temporary sticking charm and soon he began to moult, feathers falling off of him in droves.

Exactly thirty three minutes into the party a chant began. "Speech! Speech!" Cedric was bundled to a place of prominence on a slightly cleared table where he surveyed his housemates. Lavi opted to stand just behind the table.

"Ahem!" Cedric began before choking on his drink, which caused a ripple of laughter to pass through the gathered students. "Fellow Hufflepuffs, it is, as I said when I was selected, an honour to represent you in this tournament. I haven't changed my mind, even after facing a dragon and hearing that horrendous screaming-" He was interrupted by a large cheer from his audience. "-But I'd rather not go near that, or any other, dragon ever again." He touched the orange paste covering half of his face as the Hufflepuffs winced in sympathy. "But I'd like to say, thanks for supporting me through all this so far, and I hope I'll continue to have your support right up until the trophy is awarded."

"To you!" a young voice called out, probably a first or second year. Cedric laughed, but a chant began.

"Cedric to win! Cedric to win!" Said champion blushed and Lavi hadn't the heart to point out that he was currently in last place. Hufflepuffs were many things, but unintelligent was not one of them. But then, everything could yet change – there were two more tasks to go.

* * *

Viktor seemed determined to delay returning to the boat for as long as possible, Allen noticed as they walking to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Allen hoped he didn't intend on going too far inside – he'd have to insist they turned back then.

"Professor Karkaroff vill no doubt be very pleased vith me," the Bulgarian Seeker said suddenly, surveying the area before sitting underneath a tree. Allen sank down next to him. "But he marked me unfairly, and Harry. I haff never seen another fly so vell; he deserved far more than a four from Durmstrang." Allen said nothing, not wanting to agree or disagree with the statement.

"It is far bigger than I expected," Viktor continued, turning the egg in his hands. "But then, I am used to catching a snitch the same size as your Timcanpy." Said golem settled beside the egg, as if to accentuate the size difference. "It is expected that I open the egg at the celebration, I expect. I do not vant to. It is something for me to discover privately, not have the help of my school for." Without warning, he plunged his fingernails into the crack around the edge and yanked it open. The screams paralleled the tortured souls of akuma in intensity and Allen found it very difficult to keep both his eye and Crown Clown under control. Indeed, he had to cover his eye with his right hand – the one that wasn't threatening to transform – as it began to strain, searching for the non-existent threat. At least, Allen hoped it was non-existent. Saving an akuma was not high on his list of things to do at that particular moment in time and with his eye reacting to the screams, he had no way of identifying a true threat.

Viktor had clamped his hands over his ears as he stared into the depths of the egg, which was emitting a golden sheen. Peering over slightly, Allen could see that the inside was a swirling mass of gold, with perhaps a hint of blue hidden inside the brightness.

"Interesting," Viktor appeared to mutter, although Allen wasn't that proficient at lip-reading, so he may have said something completely different. Seemingly tired of the noise, Timcanpy swiped at the egg with his tail, somehow managing to slam it shut.

"That wasn't the nicest sound I've ever heard," Allen admitted as his eye receded. No akuma – good. He'd been expecting screaming, thanks to a quick briefing the previous day, but it was worse than he'd thought it would be.

"It vas horrible," Viktor agreed.

"Viktor?" a familiar voice called and they stood as Professor Karkaroff found them. "What are you doing out here? I expected you to be on the ship by now." He turned to Allen. "I do not think it was wise to let him venture near this forest," he said sternly. "I would hate for something to happen because you were lax in your duties."

"I can assure you that we are perfectly safe here," Allen said stiffly, trying to stifle his annoyance with the man. "If there was any danger I would not have let us linger here." Viktor looked between them curiously before Timcanpy slapped Karkaroff with his tail.

"What was that?" Karkaroff jumped, looking around wildly. Allen just sighed.

"Tim…" he said warningly. The golden golem landed on his head. "Sorry, he has a mind of his own," he apologised. "There's nothing dangerous here." _Except me and maybe you_, he added silently. He still wasn't sure of Karkaroff's depth of involvement with the so-called Lord Voldemort and the level of threat he posed to the schools and Black Order alike. BaKanda had said something about someone not trusting him, and revealing a worrying past.

Karkaroff gave him a disapproving look before sweeping back to the ship, the indication that they should follow clear. Viktor looked at Allen and shrugged before obeying his high master's wishes and they boarded the ship, where the communal area had been lavishly decorated. Poliakoff nervously stepped forwards at a sharp instruction from his high master and held his hands out for the egg.

"Please," he whispered. "He'll punish me if I don't." Viktor looked at him and surrendered the egg with no hassle. The two boys were actually good friends, but they couldn't show it around Karkaroff due to the latter's extreme prejudice against the boy. Poliakoff handed over the egg to Karkaroff who smiled – there was no amusement – before declaring the celebrations could begin.

It wasn't much of a celebration, Allen thought. There was very little food – he could eat it all by himself and still be hungry – and there seemed little genuine joy. It was clear that Viktor wanted to be anywhere except there, and most of his classmates disliked him. The only person that seemed to be truly enjoying himself was Karkaroff as he ate most of the food, drank most of the wine and loudly congratulated Viktor. Allen received a look that quite plainly stated that he should not have been present, but he ignored it in favour of keeping Viktor company. Clearly the Durmstrang High Master did not think it worth putting up a front for him.

* * *

Lenalee was looking forward to the celebration Gabrielle had informed her would be taking place. She'd never been to an all-girls' party before and was curious to see what they were like, especially amongst girls of her own age.

"You can't go in zhere yet!" Gabrielle insisted as Fleur attempted to enter the carriage. Fleur smiled at her younger sister, clearly aware of what was going on within the pale blue carriage, and graciously headed towards the castle, finding a nice quiet area just outside the walls to sit and stare at her egg.

"I wonder what it says?" she asked quietly. "Well I suppose I may as well get started. It will not be an obvious clue, I don't think." Lenalee said nothing, dreading the noise she'd been warned of. "You don't mind if I open it?" the part-Veela asked her quietly. She shook her head, thinking that she may as well get used to the sound now. Fleur gripped the egg tightly and forced it open, dropping it as the unearthly screech emitted from it. Lenalee immediately covered her ears, watching in astonishment as Fleur just listened carefully, seemingly able to make something out. Lenalee could see her lips moving slightly and contemplated listening carefully herself, but the screams threatened to evoke both memories and her Innocence so she kept a firm grip on her ears, keeping out as much of the sound as possible.

Movement caught her eye and she saw Gabrielle running towards them, also seemingly unaffected by the noise. Lenalee surmised that their Veela genes must have affording them some protection against the worst of the sound. When Fleur spotted her sister, she closed the egg. Lenalee smiled weakly as she removed her fingers from her ears.

"We're ready for you now!" Gabrielle beamed, grabbing her sister by her hand and dragging her towards the carriage. "Was that ze egg making zat noise?" she added.

"_Oui_," Fleur confirmed. "_C'est musical._" Lenalee disagreed, but remembered that the sisters knew far more about singing than she did. "But I will zink about it more later," Fleur continued. "Now is a time for celebration, _oui_?" Gabrielle didn't seem surprised that her sister knew about the party.

Entering the carriage, Lenalee could see that it had been decorated very tastefully. Delicate treats were arranged on tables in neat patterns, light enough that they would still be capable of consuming their dinner in the evening, but enough to make it seem like a proper party.

"_Félicitations_, Fleur," Madame Maxime said, smiling brightly.

"_Merci_," Fleur replied as she accepted the crown of flowers her sister placed on her head. A tasteful selection of colours, predominately a pale blue to match their uniform made Lenalee feel deprived of female company at home. Miranda was too nervous to try anything so bold and Cloud was often away with her duties as a general.

The party consisted of lots of dancing, primarily in groups, to a variety of French music as well as several small party games, including one she was informed was called Boules. Her aim was terrible and so she lost marvellously, eliciting polite laughter from her companions with which she joined in. Several of the girls decorated Fleur's hair with more flowers, tying it up into an elegant twist at the back of her head. To her surprise, once they were finished with Fleur Lenalee was given the same treatment, minus the flowers.

"For protecting her outside the arena," they told her when she asked. She accepted the reasoning gracefully, despite mentally protesting that Fleur hadn't needed protecting.

"Would you like to talk?" Madame Maxime asked Fleur in French, who accepted the opportunity gladly.

"_Mes sœurs,_" she began, looking at all the females in front of her. "I 'ope you do not mind me speaking in English?" They replied negatively and she smiled thankfully. "You 'ave done a wonderful job zis afternoon and evening, supporting me in your own ways against ze dragon." Here she turned to Lenalee. "You 'ave my zanks for being with me in ze arena, even if it is only because it was your duty," she added. Lenalee smiled at her, thinking that she would have tried to be there even if she hadn't been ordered to be. "And while I managed to avoid disgracing myself against my opponent, I would ask zat we do not forget zat ze boys also faced dragons and succeeded. I want to win, and I know I 'ave ze capability to do so, but I am now more aware of ze competition I face and all of zem, even ze youngest, are proving to be worthy opponents. I 'umbly ask for your support against zem – passively, girls, we are all above petty tactics – and with it I am sure I will continue to be able to hold my 'ead up 'igh and not disgrace ze name of _L'académie de magie de Beauxbâtons_!"

The girls all cheered, Lenalee with them, and clapped their hands, Madame Maxime acknowledging her student with pride.

**Sorry this is slightly rushed, I have to leave the house in ten minutes from now and I really wanted to get this out today. It was a surprisingly difficult chapter to write and I apologise for any errors. I'll double-check it when I get back later this evening.**

**French translations:  
**_**Oui**_** = Yes  
**_**C'est musical**_** = It's musical  
**_**Félicitations**_** = Congratulations  
**_**Merci**_** = Thank you  
**_**Mes sœurs**_** – My sisters  
**_**L'académie de magie de Beauxbâtons**_** = Beauxbatons Academy of Magic (official translation according to Harry Potter Wiki)**

_**Boules**_** is a French game where a small ball (**_**boule)**_** is thrown and then the players have to throw their own balls towards it. The person that gets their ball closest to the **_**boule**_** wins.**

**I don't normally do a translation list, but I'm just making sure you understood some of the less common words I've used (if there's any errors please correct me – it's been too long since I last studied French and so I had to rely on Google Translate for some of these).**

**Well I have to dash now, so see you next week!**

**Thanks for reading!  
Tsari**


	15. Dance Classes

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 15 – Dance Classes

Kanda opened his wardrobe the next morning to grab his spotless uniform – he had to admit that the house elves did a very good job with the cleaning, even if he didn't approve of them entering his room while he was out – and glared, as usual, at the kimono sitting innocently on a hanger. When it'd been handed to him by Komui the sister-complex had said something about Christmas. Said holiday was now only a month away and he still didn't have a clue what it was for.

Later that day he was stuck at the back of the Transfiguration classroom, glaring at the teen he was supposed to be protecting, and said teen's immature friend, as they had some poor imitation of a sword fight with what appeared to be wands, which transformed into some bizarre toys. Fake wands, then. He still didn't understand the use of wooden sticks. If their magic failed, how was it supposed to work as a normal weapon? Wizards were very strange, and too reliant on their magic. He prided himself on ignoring his Innocence as much as possible. Indeed, even without activating it he could kill akuma so unless he was severely outnumbered he had no need for it. Lenalee could still pack a serious kick without her Boots and Lavi still had some semblance of a weapon in his Hammer, even if it was tiny and likely to be ineffective; but that was what the Junior Bookman had his brain for. Moyashi relied more heavily on his Innocence, but then, being part of him it was less likely to fail him and if it did then he'd fall – he winced inwardly at unpleasant memories involving a dark haired boy with an innocent smile and wings of death – but even he wasn't useless at self-defence.

A sharp remark from Professor McGonagall at the front of the room caught his attention again as she scolded his charge and idiot friend – Ronald was like Lavi only minus the intelligence and general usefulness the Junior Bookman provided – before returning to what she was saying; something useful for Kanda to know, it transpired.

The Yule Ball? Now that explained that kimono Komui had given him. He inwardly balked at the idea of a female companion – or any companion, for that matter. Lavi or Moyashi would invariably go with Lenalee, and the other would have no problems charming any one of the numerous witches currently in the castle. Kanda had no such charms, and no wish to have them. A companion would slow him down in the case of an attack, or he would just outright ignore them.

The bombshell was dropped when Harry was informed that he would be opening the Ball. Great, now Kanda would have to accompany him as he attempted to find a girl. Just how he planned to spend the next month.

"Mr Kanda, I suggest you ask your superiors as to how you will proceed with your duties that evening," she turned to him. He nodded, resolving to find out how exactly he could get out of having a… date. Even the concept made him inwardly shudder.

His irritance only increased when Harry didn't do the sensible thing and just ask Hermione, or another of his female classmates. Kanda was sure that any one of them would have said yes, and it would have saved them both the headache that was inevitable. Instead, Harry started pining over a Chinese girl from Ravenclaw. Without mustering the courage to just ask her. He was sure he'd been told that Gryffindors were supposed to be brave… Perhaps he needed to check that knowledge with Lavi.

Lavi informed him that he was correct, and also that Cedric had already asked Cho himself. Not that Kanda was going to tell Harry that. He wasn't there to protect him from a broken heart, after all. Especially not if it was his own fault for not already asking her. Predictably, Lavi had latched onto Lenalee that evening and had begged her to be his partner at the Ball, provided she didn't tell Komui. After getting an oath of secrecy from everyone – not a challenge, seeing as none of them wanted to face Komurin whatever-number-Komui-was-up-to if her brother found out – she'd agreed. Moyashi had smiled politely for them, seemingly unconcerned that Lenalee wasn't going with him. Maybe their relationship was purely platonic, despite their actions. Not that Kanda cared, as long as they didn't get overly-attached. They didn't need any more akuma to fight, after all, and exorcists were always at a high risk of death. Cloud had more-or-less told Reever that he was to be her escort – "as the only adults from the Black Order it's the logical conclusion"; something she amended to "responsible adults" after Lavi reminded her that he was, in fact, a legal adult as far as Britain, and the Order, which was primarily based in Britain, was concerned. Kanda didn't mind not being classified as an adult in this case, even if he, too, was biologically eighteen and had memories for far more years than that. Adulthood brought responsibility for more than his own welfare, even if everyone in the Order should be capable of looking after themselves.

Kanda's respect for the Gryffindor house in general was restored when one of the twins – he didn't bother learning their names, he couldn't tell them apart anyway – called across the room for a girl to be his date, obviously not even considering the possibility of rejection. Now why couldn't Harry do that? Then Kanda would be spared the experience of him cringing every time a girl so much as looked at him – except Hermione, interestingly. But he quickly realised that, like himself and Lenalee, Harry viewed her as a friend and not a girl.

Harry finally got round to asking Cho, just to face the inevitable rejection, which seemed to depress him slightly. It appeared that redheaded idiot friend of his was no better at picking up a date and this was when they finally turned to Hermione in desperation, who then revealed that she already had an escort. Knowing who it was, Kanda smirked as Ronald lost it at the realisation that he'd let his chance slip away. Served him right for forgetting his friend's gender. The pretty Indian twins finally put Harry out of his misery (and Ronald), and by extension Kanda, less than a week before the Ball.

* * *

Professor Sprout broke the news somewhat gently to Cedric and his fellow Hufflepuffs and Lavi quickly deduced that a certain Cho Chang was the immediate target, even if the two had barely spoken. Ailey didn't seem offended, but then again Marvin had asked her almost immediately after hearing the announcement so it wasn't like Cedric had a chance to ask her even if he wanted to. Marvin and Ailey did confide to him that if he didn't manage to find a date he was welcome to escort Ailey for at least the opening dance. Lavi had to smile at the sense of camaraderie and loyalty between the friends – truly befitting the Hufflepuffs.

The next morning, Lavi watched as Cedric tentatively made his way over to the Ravenclaw table, where Cho was talking with the French girls and Lenalee. Fleur sent Lavi a glare, which he ignored, and Lenalee smiled at him before turning to watch Cedric encouragingly.

"Um, Cho?" Cedric asked. The younger Seeker looked at him curiously. "I… um…" Lavi nudged him. "I was wondering if you would be my date to the Yule Ball?" The girls around looked on in silence as Cho seemed to ponder his request. Lavi could see her slowly getting over the shock of being asked out, but judging by Cedric's face he was fearing, and expected, rejection.

"Sure," she said after what the boy must have thought was an eternity. Relief was clear on his face.

"I will not go with you," Fleur said firmly to Lavi. "So don't even ask."

"As much as I would love to escort you, _Mademoiselle_," Lavi began, "I have already got Lenalee's permission to be her escort."

"You are going with zat idiot?" he heard her ask Lenalee as he and Cedric returned to the Hufflepuff table. Unfortunately that put him out of earshot so he didn't hear her response, and she was suspiciously careful to make sure he couldn't see her lips.

"What did you do to make Fleur hate you?" Cedric asked as they sat back down. Lavi shrugged.

"Apparently I'm too much of a flirt," he smiled. "Am I?" Cedric didn't deign to respond while his friends spluttered.

"What did she say?" Ailey said, turning back to Cedric.

"Well he's not in tears…" David pointed out jokingly.

"She said yes," Cedric said, sending a half-hearted glare at David.

"So I get to keep Ailey?" Marvin asked happily.

"Yes, you do," Cedric informed him.

"I'm not an object!" Ailey protested as the boys laughed. "Boys are impossible!" She turned to converse with a younger Hufflepuff while she waited for them to compose themselves.

"Do you know how to dance?" Lavi asked Cedric, who froze. He smiled. "If Ailey forgives you for treating her like a possession then I'll teach you," he said, taking pity on the younger boy. "We can't have you embarrassing yourself in front of all the schools now, can we?"

However, at that moment in time talking to Ailey seemed like a lost cause as she and the younger Hufflepuff – one Susan, if Lavi's ears were working properly – were discussing dresses.

"Maybe tomorrow," Cedric said. "If the girls will ever stop talking fashion." Ailey turned to him.

"What was that?" she asked.

"I've offered to teach Cedric to dance," Lavi informed her. "But I'll need your help, or that of another girl."

"Sure," Ailey said. "Tomorrow's Saturday, we can do it then." She turned back to Susan and they started giggling about something.

Saturday saw the Hufflepuffs in a spare classroom, Charmed shut so that no-one would walk in on them, as Lavi instructed Cedric on the basics of a waltz.

"So it's _one_, two, three, _one_, two, three," he said as he guided Ailey around the room while Cedric watched. "Why don't you have a go?" Ailey obligingly went to Cedric and allowed Lavi to jostle them around until they were in the correct hold. "_One,_ two, three- Move that foot a bit further forwards – _One_, two, three…" He continued to count as they glided around the room, stumbling at first but after a while finding the rhythm. Once satisfied that they had got it, Lavi grinned.

"Now let's work on the foxtrot," he smirked.

The weeks before the Ball passed quickly, with most of the older students staying on for Christmas – something Cedric informed him was not usual – and before long the decorations around the castle appeared as the students lounged around, refusing to do their homework and having no lessons to attend.

Cho had confided in Cedric that Harry had later asked her, but that she'd politely turned him down. Cedric had spent the rest of the day terrified that he'd ruined his relationship with the younger Champion.

"Wars have been fought over less," Lavi said. Cedric didn't seem to find that comforting.

* * *

Professor Karkaroff had no qualms about informing Viktor in no uncertain terms that he needed to find himself a date for the Yule Ball. While this was the first Allen had heard of it, it appeared that the Durmstrang students were already aware. Viktor turned to him quietly as his high master left, looking somewhat helpless.

"How am I going to ask her?" he asked desperately. Allen didn't need to be a mind-reader to know that he was talking about the pretty-enough girl they passed frequently in the library. "I can't even get the courage to talk to her!"

"With respect," Allen informed him. "You have to treat a lady with respect or you shame her, and yourself."

"Isn't she a Muggleborn?" Poliakoff asked quietly. "Professor Karkaroff would have a fit."

"Who cares?" Viktor retorted. "I'm not his pet."

"Look," Allen said. "The next time you see her, ask her for a private word and once you're alone – aside from me because I have to stay with you – ask her politely if she would like to be escorted by you to the Ball. It's simple."

"If it's so simple, you do it," Viktor grumbled. "Or are you already going vith Lenalee?"

"Lavi's going with her," Allen said. "I haven't found myself a companion for the evening yet."

"Then you find a girl and ask her, then I'll do the same vith the girl from the library," Viktor decided. Allen sighed but agreed.

The rest of the day was spent looking for a girl for Allen to ask.

"I'll ask one from the younger years," Allen said adamantly as they passed a group of Beauxbatons students. "Because they're not allowed to attend otherwise." His foreign companions didn't disagree; Allen's young age himself was probably a contributing factor to it.

That evening, after dinner as Allen led the males back to the ship, they passed a blonde girl who was walking around barefoot. Ever the gentleman, Allen headed over to her to see if he could help.

"No, it's quite alright," the young girl said dreamily. "Some of my housemates like to hide my things. It's just a game."

"If you're sure," Allen said politely. "My apologies, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Allen Walker."

"Luna Lovegood," the young girl replied. "Watch out for the Wrackspurts; I think they're flying around here."

"Wrackspurts?" Allen asked, curious.

"They're invisible," Luna qualified. "They fly through the air and enter people's heads. They're the reason that your brain sometimes goes fuzzy." Allen found Luna to be quite an interesting girl, and her physical appearance suggested that she was quite young.

"Miss Lovegood," he said suddenly. "Would you do me the honour of allowing me to escort you to the Yule Ball?" The girl looked surprised for a moment before accepting.

"No-one's ever asked me anywhere before," she smiled. "I'd love to."

Viktor conceded that perhaps it wasn't so difficult when they returned to the boat.

"I vill ask her the next time I see her," he swore. Allen smiled at his new-found confidence.

Despite frequenting the library for most of the next day, it wasn't until the weekend that they encountered the girl again.

"Excuse me," Viktor said quietly as he approached her in the library. She was alone, aside from the mountains of books that surrounded her. She looked up, seeming surprised that he'd approached her.

"I… um..." he looked down for a moment before gathering his confidence. "Vould you like to go to the Ball vith me?" She didn't answer and he hurried on. "I've been vatching you for some time now, but I could never find the courage to talk to you…" He stumbled. "Uh, vhat is your name?" Allen winced. He'd done it all in the wrong order.

"Hermione Granger," Hermione replied, answering his second question first. "And… yes, I will go with you," she decided, to both boy's relief.

"Thank you," Viktor smiled.

"Would you like to sit?" the girl asked, making to move some of her books.

"If there is room," Viktor allowed. Hermione gestured to the clear spot next to her and he sat. She turned to Allen.

"It's Allen, isn't it?" she asked. Allen nodded, impressed with her ability to remember his real name after all the time she'd spent with Kanda. "Do you need somewhere to sit?" He shook his head.

"Floor works fine for me, Miss Granger."

"Hermione is fine," the girl replied before turning back to Viktor, glancing at the books he was reading. He looked back at her levelly and she blushed slightly before returning to her own work.

Over the next few weeks Kanda grumbled about Harry and Ron pestering Hermione constantly about who she was going to the Ball with. Allen just quietly grinned to himself, not having the heart to tell Kanda who it was and put the Japanese out of his own misery – not that he'd ever admit to being curious himself, but all the Black Order personnel present knew he was. But the Japanese got it out of him eventually - he knew he shouldn't have made that bet over that spar.

* * *

Lenalee smiled as Fleur demanded why she was going with Lavi.

"Because he's actually quite nice, and how could I subject another girl to his flirting?" she added. "If he gets too much I'll just let it slip to my brother, and he knows it." Fleur found it highly amusing that Lenalee had Lavi under the thumb so well.

"Well we know Cedric's already got his girl," she said, smiling at Cho, who blushed. "Now I 'ave to find my own."

"Anyone in mind?" Cho asked her. Fleur shook her head.

"Is zere any sensible boys you could introduce me to?" she asked. Cho thought for a moment.

"You could always try Roger," she said, indicating the Quidditch captain sitting a few seats away from them. Fleur scrutinised him carefully.

"'E is not a womaniser?" she asked. Cho shook her head. "'E does not flirt?" Again Cho shook her head. "I'll take 'im, zen."

Lenalee found the male's reaction to being informed that he was Fleur's date highly amusing. It was clear that he couldn't believe his luck but after Fleur made it quite clear that she was in charge he nodded numbly and went back to his food.

"_Oui_, 'e will do," Fleur decided, before grinning slightly. "'Ow many boys do you zink will ask me in ze next few weeks?" The girls all laughed.

Fleur was proved correct as several Durmstrang and Hogwarts males approached her by the end of the day. She refused them all, but didn't mention that she already had a date. Otherwise she might have lost the poor boy to the hoards of fanboys she appeared to have acquired.

That weekend they made an unofficial trip to Hogsmeade after a third year had approached Cho and confided that she'd been invited to the Ball and needed a dress. In a whirlwind of running around and getting permissions, Lenalee learnt that Luna had been asked by none other than Allen.

"He'll treat you right," she assured the younger girl. "Unlike the others, he's a gentleman." Professors Dumbledore and Flitwick, as well as Madame Maxime, gave their permission and that Saturday saw them headed to Hogsmeade's clothes shop – Gladrags Wizardwear. Inside they were greeted by a friendly witch who immediately sussed that they were there for dresses – just for Luna as Lenalee assured her companions that she had her own dress.

"But you did not know about it," Fleur pointed out.

"No, but we were given smart clothes 'for use at Christmas' before we left," Lenalee explained. At prompting, while Luna was measured, she described her emerald dress as best she could, whilst leaving some information back to surprise them still.

"What about shoes?" Cho asked, looking at her Boots. "Are you going to wear those?" She sounded incredulous. Lenalee nodded.

"Can you not carry your normal boots in a bag and wear proper shoes?" Fleur asked quietly as Luna began to select her dress design and colour. Lenalee shook her head.

"I'd rather wear them," she admitted, not surprised that Fleur had worked out her Boots were instrumental in her abilities – they had insisted on activating when she sang, after all. Fleur nodded in acceptance and they turned back in time to gush over the beautiful dress Luna had selected. The witch put the hologram away and promised that it would be ready in time for the Ball. A pair of matching shoes were selected and Luna politely asked if she could pick them up with the dress as opposed to taking them to the castle then. The witch smiled at her and agreed, and they set a time of a week before the Ball to collect everything.

The next few weeks passed quickly, with Fleur being unpleasantly surprised by Peeves singing rude words to the Christmas carols before Lenalee threatened him with Kanda and Mugen. The poltergeist had disappeared very quickly and wasn't heard from again, as far as the Champions were concerned, despite mutterings from everyone else and a very irate Mr Filch.

One of Harry's friends had screamed something at Fleur while she was conversing with Cedric about Cho – the poor boy wanted to know more about her – and fled while they tried to work out the unintelligible words. Eventually they summarised that he had been asking her out, but Fleur was affronted at the method and added him to the list of males to be avoided – a list that seemingly comprised of only redheads. A girl that seemed to be his sister had apologised profusely before following him.

"I 'ope 'e does not get a date," Fleur commented. "I would not submit anyone to zat sort of request." Lenalee agreed, and was pleasantly surprised when Kanda reported the aftermath of the incident with similar disgust. Even the stoic Japanese had some form of idea how to talk to a female.

Exactly a week prior to the Ball, they once again left the castle so as to collect Luna's dress for her – the girl had asked if one of them could look after it for her after confiding that several things she owned went missing and took her forever to find again. Fleur had immediately volunteered, hiding them in her own wardrobe and informing the younger girl that she was to come to the carriage three hours prior to the start of the Ball so that they could help her get ready. The girl had seemed touched at the hand of friendship offered and had immediately accepted.

**I'm so sorry this is late! I was out for most of the day yesterday, and then writer's block decided to set in so this chapter was really difficult to write, so sorry if it's not one of my best – I had to force it out instead of letting it write itself like I normally do.**

**Just to make it clear, the Ball pairings are:  
Cloud and Reever  
Lenalee and Lavi  
Luna and Allen  
Hermione and Krum  
Fleur and Roger  
Cho and Cedric  
Pavarti and Harry  
Kanda refuses to go with anyone**

**Any partnership involving a DGM character is **_**purely platonic**_**, and the Champions' partners have been left unchanged from the books, as have their relationships.**

**Replies to Guest reviews:**

_**Skorm**_**: Sorry, I appear not to have made it very clear, but Hermione legitimately doesn't have a crush on Kanda – Ron was just trying to wind her up. (He scares her too much and besides, she likes Krum, remember?)**

_**Guest:**_** Thanks for the French lesson. I did mean 'it is musical', not 'yes, it's music', but I did wonder about the plural 'mes' instead of 'ma' for 'my sisters', so thanks for pointing that one out!**

**Thanks for reading!  
Tsari**


	16. The Yule Ball

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 16 – The Yule Ball

Christmas arrived quickly and soon everyone was pulling on their clothes for the Ball. To the surprise of the champions, only Lenalee had arrived with her charge, having got ready with her, Cho and Luna. The boys were waiting for both their charges and their partners by the entrance to the Great Hall.

Harry arrived with Parvati on his arm, dressed in his emerald green dress robes with his hair somewhat tamed while she wore a shocking pink dress complete with gold bangles and gold braided into her hair. Ron had seemingly been left behind, poorly entertaining Padma, Parvati's sister.

Fleur had swept into place, practically dragging poor Roger, looking absolutely stunning in her silver dress, followed by Cho in her silver Chinese-style dress and Luna in a pale gold dress with pink linings. Cedric immediately greeted Cho, wearing his black dress robes, complete with bow tie.

When Hermione arrived, there was shock from most present, who either hadn't known she was going with Krum, or because she looked so stunning. Her periwinkle-blue dress shifted as she walked and Krum, wearing the same crimson robes as the other Durmstrang students, approached her before politely kissing her hand, to Allen's obvious approval as he did the same thing to Luna.

The champions took in their escorts' appearances with some degree of interest. Having known that they would not be wearing conventional dress robes, they weren't sure what to expect.

Kanda was, as usual, brooding in the corner although his sword was strapped to his waist, not his back. His black kimono surprised them more than it should when they remembered that he was Japanese. When the light caught it they could see some form of flower picked out in a shiny black thread, but no-one was brave enough to inquire as to what flower it was. It appeared that someone had forced him to sit still long enough for his hair to be restyled, as it was currently braided back, including the long strands of hair that usually framed his face (everyone suspected Lenalee). Somehow it didn't surprise them to see that no girl approached him, nor did he seem to be looking out for anyone.

Allen was dressed as a typical English Muggle gentleman would be, with his sharp black three-piece suit and top hat, sitting on top of white hair that had been pulled back into a short ponytail and tied with black ribbon. White gloves were still predominant on his hands. He approached Luna with all the ease of a gentleman several years older than him, graciously complimenting her appearance, from her coiled hair to the matching golden shoes.

Lavi was dressed similarly to Allen, although he was missing the top hat. Just under the tails of his waistcoat a miniscule hammer could be seen strapped to his right leg, if one looked closely enough. Most astonishing, perhaps, was the lack of the green bandana they'd come to know so well, meaning that his red hair flopped down over his forehead, giving him a more studious look and partially hiding the eye patch concealing his eye. He greeted Lenalee with a beam and moved to hug her, which she avoided gracefully.

Lenalee herself was in a beautiful emerald dress, Chinese-style like Cho's, and embroidered with golden dragonflies. Her hair had been twisted into an elegant knot on top of her head, held in place with simple, yet elegant pins. Somewhat confusingly, she still wore her normal black boots despite most people's expectations that she would wear something perhaps a little more… elegant.

As the champions paraded in and walked up to the main table, with the exorcists and Luna slipping through the crowd to reach the head table at the same time, Ron's quiet exclamation could be heard as he finally recognised Hermione. All the exorcists heard the jealously and decided to make themselves scarce when the two next spoke, Kanda determined to drag Harry with him if necessary – he was not dealing with hormonal teenagers. With everyone taking their seats they followed Professor Dumbledore's lead and declared what they wanted to eat, which immediately appeared on their plate.

Fleur kept up appearances as she loudly informed Roger that Hogwarts' Christmas decorations were not up to standard and allowed herself to rant about the experience she had had with Peeves, declaring that he should have been exorcised the moment he entered the castle. The poor young man, mesmerised by the part-Veela, could do nothing except agree. Lenalee smiled at her acting; looking around she could see that the others occupying the table found her attitude uncomfortable.

Harry was busy staring at Hermione, a faux pas considering his own date, sat by his side, who was obviously feeling neglected and kept looking towards Kanda as if wondering if he would make a decent conversationalist during the Christmas spirit. The Japanese noticed her glances and glowered slightly before Cloud pushed him slightly.

"Talk," she murmured, too quietly for anyone else to hear. Kanda scowled but at an encouraging look from 'Professor Nine' Parvarti began to talk to him.

"Why are you alone?" she asked, noticing a lack of female company. "I find it hard to believe that anyone would say no." He sighed.

"Because I didn't ask anyone," he pointed out, gritting his teeth as Lau Jimin hovered far too close to Mugen for comfort. A silent threat to be polite. He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat his soba, hoping that she'd say nothing else.

"Is that because they'd get in the way if someone tried to attack Harry?" Parvarti continued, causing Kanda to narrow her eyes at his perceptiveness. She was a Gryffindor, not a Ravenclaw! He nodded, hoping that she would realise that talking counted as another distraction. She did. "I'm sorry to bother you then," she said, turning back to her own meal somewhat sadly. Kanda ignored her, instead glaring at the Innocence-monkey which chattered before returning to Cloud's shoulder.

Krum was having the time of his life. Having discovered that Hermione was a brilliant conversationalist, and listener, he was telling her all about his home school, much to her interest. Karkaroff attempted to interrupt them, but Allen smiled at him ever so slightly menacingly, taking a break in his conversation with Luna concerning magical creatures. Thestrals were wonderfully interesting – they seemed almost to be like his eye and akuma, with an equally morbid requirement for viewing. He was very sympathetic, but Luna waved him off, explaining about how she still felt connected to her mother, even if she'd moved on. It transpired that they had more in common that Allen had originally thought as he resisted the urge to touch his scar in remembrance of Mana.

Cedric and Cho were talking Quidditch – a neutral subject that both companies felt very comfortable with – as they discussed various strategies a Seeker could employ to outmanoeuvre another to the Snitch. Lavi, listening in even as he spoke with Lenalee about random things that wouldn't jeopardise their mission – it transpired that they had very little to talk about when akuma and the Order were removed from the conversation, making the conversation rather difficult – found it highly interesting that every couple had at least one member of a Quidditch team. Excepting Fleur, every champion was a Seeker, making it highly likely that the qualities for a Seeker were also valued by the Goblet in its selection. He wondered what they were – all three were very different individuals and Fleur also had to have similar qualities if his hypothesis was correct. It was an interesting puzzle, and one to unravel at his leisure.

All too soon the tables disappeared and the champions were called to open the evening so they stood to begin their dances as the music began. Allen seemed at ease as he watched Krum, indicating low likelihood of an attack, although it didn't stop them from being wary of Professor Moody. He hadn't done anything yet, but Kanda trusted him no more than their first meeting and the Black Order personnel present knew better than to doubt the instincts of the Japanese. A crowded room such as this would be the perfect time to strike.

It was amusing to watch the difference in dance ability as Fleur took subtle control of Roger so that she was leading – the poor Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain didn't seem to know which way was up he was in such a daze – while Cedric and Cho whirled around gracefully, thanks to Lavi's lessons. Krum was no more elegant on the ground than usual, but Hermione's appearance and own grace more than made up for it. Harry was the worst of all, stumbling around as Parvarti took control rather less subtly than Fleur had with Roger.

Eventually it seemed that the teachers were considering taking pity on the champions and Lavi and Lenalee decided to make their own entrance to the dance floor, soon followed by several students. Kanda watched with narrowed eyes as they all moved in tandem with the music, sending occasional glances across to Moody, who was watching Harry a little too much for his liking. There was nothing he could do unless the suspicious man made a move, and so he had to settle for sulking in the corner, and glaring at the occasional female that seemed determined to head his way. Soon Harry decided to flee the dance floor and Kanda made his way over to him as they sat by Ronald and his rather disgruntled partner. The arrival of Hermione sparked a screaming match and Kanda wanted nothing more than to drag Harry away from the two, but for some reason the stubborn teen was content to sit and watch his two best friends try and ruin the evening. Just before he pounced with the intent of ripping them apart, or at least using force to get Harry to leave, Lenalee and Lavi caught him.

"Dance," Lenalee demanded. He shook his head stubbornly, looking at his charge. "I'll tell Komui you did dance with me if you don't," she threatened. Lenalee's silence needed to be bought, to avoid severe headaches, and so he reluctantly let her lead him away as Lavi hovered near the arguing teens, listening in to their argument and sighing.

"Why are you making me dance?" Kanda demanded as he was dragged around the dance floor – despite his elegance with a sword his dancing skills left much to be desired. Lenalee glared at him.

"It's Christmas," she said. "And you need to relax. The chances of an attack are low and Allen's keeping an eye out for akuma." She whirled particularly quickly and Kanda stumbled slightly before regaining his balance.

"'E is a much better partner," Fleur approved as they passed on the floor. "Much less _ennuyeux_ zhan Lavi."

"What's she got against Usagi?" Kanda inquired. He could see several reasons, but wondered which one it was.

"She didn't like him flirting with her," Lenalee explained. Kanda wasn't surprised in the least.

"I see zat ozzer boy 'as got a poor girl," Fleur continued, not talking to Roger as he blindly followed her. She frowned and whirled away, returning a moment later looking triumphant. Following her line of sight they could see that a Durmstrang boy had approached Padma and invited her to dance. Ronald didn't even notice she'd left. Seeing that Hermione had left, followed by Krum, Kanda glanced meaningfully at Lenalee, who sighed and led him back to Harry, picking up an enthusiastic Lavi instead.

"I guess you don't like dancing either," Ronald commented sullenly. Kanda was very glad he'd missed the argument – he didn't envy Lavi.

"I hate it," Kanda replied, watching as he stood up, followed by Harry. He shadowed them as they left the Great Hall and glowered as they went outside, spying Fleur and her date without Lenalee nearby. However, Allen and Luna were also outside and after making sure they were aware of both champions, Kanda went to lean by the building, observing but not getting too close.

* * *

Allen enjoyed his evening immensely. The food was, as always, delicious, and Luna was an excellent conversationalist with several very interesting views. He invited her to dance, and she demonstrated an extraordinary ability but tired quickly and so, taking advantage of Fleur and Roger heading outside, unaccompanied but with Lenalee sending him a meaningful look, he escorted her outside. Luna understood immediately and once they were outside distracted his attention by pointing out several creatures he had never seen before. The fairies lighting the lawn were breath-taking and Luna pointed out the Thestrals, hiding just within the bounds of the Forbidden Forest. When Kanda decided to interrupt them, his first reaction was a scowl, but upon spotting Harry, he understood that he had two directions to check for akuma in. Kanda appeared satisfied, and Allen went back to ignoring him.

* * *

Cedric was having the time of his life as he danced with Cho. She was very elegant and he enjoyed the conversation as well as the atmosphere. He noticed that Lavi was with Lenalee, but when the brief thought that he wasn't guarded crossed his mind a direction change in their dancing revealed that Professor Nine was keeping an eye on him as she conversed with the Rōzukurosu headmaster.

"I hope you don't mind us instead," Professor Wenhamm apologised as they neared. "But Lavi's been dying to dance with Lenalee for years." Cedric laughed.

"I'd noticed," he confessed, looking across at the redhead as he laughed with the Chinese girl. "What's he like as a student?" he added, curious. These professors seemed far more approachable than his own.

"Exhausting," Professor Nine admitted. "Luckily, I'm not his tutor – our equivalent of Head of House – so I don't have to deal with him all the time. Professor Bookman has that joy, but then again they have the same thirst for knowledge, so maybe it is a joy for him."

"He's been very helpful," Cedric said. "He picks things up as fast as a Ravenclaw-" he glanced at Cho "-that's a good thing," he assured her. She beamed at him as they drifted away from the professors. The rest of the evening passed too quickly, and at about half past eleven he asked Cho the question that had been bugging him, hoping desperately that he'd read the signs correctly.

"Cho?"

"What is it?" the girl asked. Her bright eyes revealed that she suspected something, but he couldn't for the life of him see what.

"Would you be my girlfriend?" Her eyes blinked and he froze, well aware of the red blush crossing his cheeks. _Please say yes please say yes please say-_

"Yes." _–yes please say huh what?_ It was his turn to blink, not sure he'd heard her right.

"I said yes," she repeated, laughing as she closed the gap between their bodies slightly more. "Now keep dancing."

Sometime later a bell tolled midnight and everyone gathered back into the Great Hall to bid everyone else goodnight. Cedric was beaming at Cho, a fact Harry seemed determined to ignore, just as Ronald purposefully refused to look at Hermione and Krum, while Fleur seemed to have destroyed what was left of poor Roger's brain if the glazed over eyes were any indication. The exorcists went to stand by their charges, Allen apologising to Luna who waved it off and went to talk to Ginny, and accompanied them back to their sleeping quarters.

Cedric approaching Harry wasn't unexpected for them, but they were all suspicious of the information's source – none other than a certain Professor Moody – even if Lavi had confirmed from Cedric's actions that it was accurate. Somehow this made it even more suspicious. Harry seemed very surprised to receive the information pertaining to 'taking a bath' with the egg; apparently the boy hadn't heard of returning favours.

Once their charges were safely back in their respective dormitories, the exorcists gathered in their own quarters.

"Well done," Reever said. "I'm going to assume you had fun-" he seemed to ignore Kanda as he said this "-and are ready to resume normal duties tomorrow." Cloud smiled at them all before chivvying them all off to bed.

**200 reviews! Thank you so much – you're all amazing!**

**Sorry the updates aren't quite as prompt or regular as I would like (and my writing style seems to be trying to change), but uni deadlines are coming up at the same time that writer's block seems determined to make an appearance. So for the next few weeks they might be up late or I might miss a week (that's the absolute worst-case scenario), although I'll do my best to continue to get them out on a Wednesday. Details relating to updates and changes to the schedule can always be found on my profile, so feel free to check for the latest excuse/predicted update day.**

**I'm going to try and post again tomorrow, as I should do, but no promises due to pesky writer's block.**

**Anyway, about the chapter: I skipped describing Ron and Hermione's fight because we all know what happens and there was no reason to introduce an exorcist, and the same is with the revelation that Hagrid is half-giant.**

**For those of you that have only seen the film, in the books (which I'm following) Hermione's dress is blue, not pink, hence the colour change. Likewise, the Patil twin's outfits are slightly different and Harry wears green instead of black. Fleur's outfit is the same in both the book and film, and Krum, Cedric and Cho's outfits aren't described in the books so I used the film adaption. There was no need to describe Ron's outfit, aside from the implication that it's hideous, so I didn't even try. Luna's dress is just a colour combination that I thought would work for her.**

**For those of you unaware, yes Ginny was present at the Yule Ball - she attends with Neville. Luna however did not in the books, which is why I made her Allen's partner (so it didn't mess with canon). Likewise, Gabrielle has been intentionally missed out because she's too young to attend.**

**Yes, I made Kanda suck at dancing. Mainly because it doesn't seem like a past-time he'd take up, despite the fact that he's very graceful when fighting with Mugen and the footwork is markedly different.**

**Hope this answers any questions - if you have any others feel free to ask!**

**French translations:**

_**Ennuyeux**_** = Annoying**

**Replies to Guest reviews:**

_**ZDrive:**_** I think they'd get on well as friends, because Allen's so kind and would take Luna seriously, unlike most people.**

_**CoO:**_** Something will happen, but if I tell you when then it'll ruin the surprise… Writing the exorcists being underestimated is quite fun though, but they'll find out they're better than they think soon.**

_**Guest:**_** Sorry, but I'm trying to keep them in character, and Kanda dancing with a girl (other than a very forceful Lenalee) is firstly very OOC, and secondly starts to add in an element of romance, which I'm trying to avoid because this is primarily an adventure story (I also dislike messing with canon and adding in a girl who swoons over Kanda will mess with it rather considerably).**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Tsari**


	17. Cracking the Egg: Harry

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 17 – Cracking the Egg (Harry)

The atmosphere within the castle changed dramatically after the Yule Ball. It appeared that all the students had suddenly remembered that they had homework to do, something that they begrudgingly began to work on. Particularly obvious was Harry's gloom at realising the second task wasn't as far off as he had hoped.

All this was driven out of his mind, however, with the first Care of Magical Creatures lesson of the term. It had started off as normal, with the greeting from Professor Nine, but they soon learnt that they were taking the day off from the Blast-Ended Skrewts, much to everyone's relief, as they were lead to a paddock not too far from the Beauxbatons' carriage. Inside were a pair of silver unicorns, who were immediately swooned over by the girls, and some of the other boys were struggling not to do the same. Looking across at Kanda, he noticed that the Japanese wasn't even looking at the magical creatures, but rather at Malfoy and the other Slytherins, who had started sniggering over something now that Professor Nine was looking the other way.

"Hand that over, Mr Malfoy," her sharp voice cut through his thoughts, once again proving that even if she wasn't looking at them she was perfectly well aware of what they were up to. Malfoy froze, looking like a deer caught in the headlights, and she sighed, obviously unwilling to leave the unicorns. "Kanda."

Without a word the male in question walked over to Malfoy and grabbed the newspaper that appeared to be the source of amusement out of unresisting hands before approaching Professor Nine, completely ignoring the unicorns who in turn ignored him – surprising, seeing as unicorns didn't like males – and handing it over. She looked down at the article it was open on in distaste before fixing the Slytherins with a stern look.

"I fail to see what this has to do with this class," she said. "Would one of you care to enlighten me?" None of the Slytherins would meet her gaze and it soon became apparent that none of them had an answer. Even the boisterous Malfoy had learnt by now not to cross the female teacher. "Detention for the three of you," she said, looking at Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. "Professor Hagrid may not be teaching this year but he is still a member of staff and deserves your respect, no matter what his heritage may be." Harry looked at the newspaper clutched in her hand, just able to make out the headline. _Dumbledore's Giant Mistake_.

"How did she?" Ron hissed as the lesson began again, the boys staying back while the girls petted the magical creatures. It hadn't taken a genius to work out that the author of the article was Rita Skeeter. Harry shrugged and was about to reply when Professor Nine spoke.

"Mr Weasley! Name a property of a unicorn hair!" Ron blushed a bright scarlet, clashing magnificently with his hair. His mouth opened and closed in an approximation of a fish before he was forced to concede that he didn't know, receiving a disapproving look. "Please pay attention, or I will be forced to issue another detention." He nodded numbly. There was no more conversation during the lesson.

They informed Hermione about the article in question at the end of the lesson, interrupting her gushes about the lesson on unicorns, and she was equally horrified.

"Let's go see him tonight," Ron muttered as they headed back to the castle.

"You will do no such thing," Kanda cut in. He'd been so quiet they'd forgotten he was there. "Hagrid is perfectly capable of continuing with his work and as such does not need you three to break the rules on his behalf."

"But-" Ron tried again.

"I will personally ensure that you do not go," Kanda threatened, his hand twitching upwards to where Mugen's hilt protruded above his shoulder. Ron shut up. Harry didn't even bother trying to argue, well aware that Kanda was likely to spend the night lurking outside the portrait hole just to ensure that they didn't sneak out.

This was confirmed that evening after Kanda had left them. Despite no longer hovering just behind Harry, his silhouette was visible whenever the Fat Lady's portrait swung open.

"Just give up," Harry told Ron, after the Weasley had let out an exclamation of annoyance upon realising he was still standing guard. "He'll stay there all night."

"Then maybe we can escape him tomorrow," Ron said. "We have to see Hagrid!" Harry shook his head.

"He did the same thing before the dragons," Hermione interjected. "Harry wanted to practise after curfew but he wouldn't let us and stayed guard outside all night. But he was still completely alert the next day."

"Is he even human?" Ron protested. "That's just insane." His question went unanswered.

Plans to talk to Hagrid scuppered, Harry began to focus more on solving the clue within the screeching egg, to Kanda's obvious displeasure. Unfortunately, no matter how many times he listened to it, it revealed nothing, leaving his only lead to be Cedric's cryptic clue. Realising that it would involve breaking curfew, Harry excused himself, walking away from Ron and Hermione to a secluded spot. As he had expected, Kanda followed him.

"I can't try Cedric's hint during school hours," he said bluntly, choosing to get straight to the point. "There's no way I'll be able to skip lessons, and getting into a Prefect's bathroom would be awkward because I'm not one."

"You're asking me to let you wander around after curfew," Kanda stated. Harry nodded anxiously, searching Kanda's face for any sign of agreement. The face stayed as closed off as ever and he sighed in defeat.

"When?" Kanda asked suddenly.

"Eh?" was Harry's eloquent response. He couldn't be suggesting…

"When do you plan on undertaking this venture?" Kanda elaborated. "You are aware that I will have to accompany you?"

Beyond relieved to have Kanda's approval, he began to speculate about times and between them they arrived at a game plan. It transpired that while quiet, Kanda was far from unintelligent and they had soon come to an agreement. Harry would use his invisibility cloak while Kanda would accompany him in plain view, apparently on a patrol.

"Why are you accepting of this?" Harry dared to ask once the details had been finalised.

"Because Cedric and Usagi have already done the same thing," Kanda explained. Well, that proved that whatever hair-brained thing Cedric thought, he'd tried it himself.

The evening in question rolled around and Harry prepared himself, grabbing his cloak and egg. As an afterthought he also took the Marauder's Map. It wasn't necessary, particularly with Kanda as an accomplice, but it was a comfort for sneaking around the castle at night.

At the designated time he was waiting in the common room, hidden away, and watching on the Map for Kanda. He saw the labelled footsteps approach the tower and Kanda's voice could be heard speaking the password. The Japanese strolled in, looking around the common room before heading up the stairs. It was brief, but Kanda had already told Harry that it was necessary for the Fat Lady to be deceived. Apparently he often did this. Harry tried not to be too disturbed by the idea.

Finally Kanda made his way out and Harry accompanied him, Map stuffed in his pocket and still active, invisible to all but Kanda's side glance aimed directly at him told him he knew that Harry was with him.

"Can you see me?" Harry hissed once they were out of earshot of the Fat Lady, worried that his cloak was malfunctioning.

"I can sense you," Kanda said shortly. "But you are invisible." That was another thing Harry added to things about Kanda that made him seem inhuman. He didn't like the idea that his guard wasn't human. Kanda made his way unerringly towards the correct bathroom, giving the password and keeping the door open long enough for Harry to slip inside after him.

Harry discarded his cloak and ran an impressive bath, playing with all the different knobs until Kanda cleared his throat impatiently, before stripping and quickly entering the water. Kanda took the liberty of moving the egg within his reach, his eyes darting around as if suspecting something was there. Harry's unease grew as Mugen was drawn. He felt very vulnerable.

"Reveal yourself," Kanda barked and a familiar ghost appeared. He glared at her.

"Myrtle!" Harry exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?" He looked at the tense Japanese. "She usually haunts one of the girls' bathrooms." Kanda's grip loosened slightly and he lowered Mugen, not putting it away.

"You never come and visit me anymore," the ghost of the young girl bemoaned, settling in the water beside Harry. He tried his best to ignore her, opening the egg. It wailed and he was quick to snap it shut again. Myrtle laughed.

"I'd try putting it in the water if I were you," she said. He did so and opened it again, aware of Kanda's calculating look. Something that definitely did not sound like screaming emitted from it. "And your head," Myrtle added, as though he was an idiot. He did so reluctantly, taking a deep breath and diving under. The sound became clear and he realised that it was singing.

_Come seek us where our voices sound,  
We cannot sing above the ground,  
And while you're searching, ponder this:  
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,  
An hour long you'll have to look,  
To recover what we took,  
But past an hour – the prospect's black  
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back._

After one rendition he had to resurface for air and found himself facing an expectant audience.

"I…" he began, before realising that he'd forgotten most of it. "Hang on, I need to listen to it again…"

"Listen to what again?" Kanda demanded before he dove under again.

"A song," Harry said. "It's a song."

It took three more dives to memorise it and he began to ponder the meaning of the words.

"I've got to look for people who can't sing above the ground…" he muttered, more to himself than his companions. "Who could that be..?" He'd not seen Myrtle look so happy since Hermione had accidently transformed herself into a cat via Polyjuice Potion. Kanda's face was blank. Idly he looked around the bathroom, his eyes landing on a picture of a sleeping mermaid.

"Myrtle," he began slowly. No way… "There aren't merpeople in the lake, are there?"

"Very good," she said. "It took Diggory ages to work it out – and that was with her awake, too." She gestured towards the picture he'd noticed. "Flashing her fins and everything, she was."

"So I've got to spend an hour underwater…" he mused, before noticing a massive problem. "How am I supposed to breathe?"

Myrtle once again began to live up to her nickname and ghostly tears splashed into the bath, not even leaving a ripple.

"Tactless!" she exclaimed before zooming off, leaving Harry to wonder what he'd said. He turned to Kanda, who looked downright sour.

"You were in the arena with me against the dragons, right?" Harry asked him. "Where are you going to be for this one, do you think?"

"_Not_ in the water," Kanda said firmly. The way he was holding Mugen, now sheathed, made it look as if he was hugging it for comfort.

"But…" Harry said, confused. He'd assumed that it would have been logical for Kanda to be with him. He quickly got out of the bath and got dressed, picking up the cloak and putting it over himself, ready to leave.

"I can't swim," Kanda confessed quietly. Harry froze.

"What?"

"You heard me," Kanda snapped. "And I'm not about to learn, either." That was clearly the end of the discussion, punctuated by Kanda wrenching open the door with more force than necessary. "It's time you went to bed."

Preoccupied by what he had just learnt – especially how on earth he was going to stay under water for an hour and not drown – he didn't notice the trick stair until his foot had already sunk in it. In his panic he dropped the egg, which promptly opened and began to scream again. Unnoticed by both him and Kanda, the Map slipped out of his pocket, still activated. Kanda cursed quietly and wrenched him out of the gap, settling him on the step above, and headed down to collect the egg.

"Peeves?" a hoarse voice called and Argus Filch appeared before Kanda had the chance to scoop up the egg. Instead he skulked towards it as the egg was closed, holding out a hand for it. Harry decided to stay quiet and still, having no wish to be caught out of bed by the caretaker.

"He stole my charge's egg while I was doing my rounds," Kanda said quietly.

"Did you see anything else on your rounds?" a slimy voice cut in. Harry's heart sank. Snape. "Any students out of bed, for example?" Kanda replied negative and Harry had to keep himself from gasping. Kanda was lying to one of the Professors? He had never considered the Japanese to be that sort of student. "Please tell me if you see anyone that shouldn't be out of bed – my office has just been broken into."

Kanda nodded.

"I will have another look around once I've returned the egg," he said.

"Strange time of the night for a gathering." The three people already present turned to see Moody, who looked as if he had just picked something up. His magical eye rested on Harry, who suddenly remembered that it could see through invisibility cloaks. He feverently hoped that Kanda was not about to get in trouble. "And is that a Champion's egg?"

"It's Potter's," Filch said. "Kanda here was retrieving it from Peeves, who had stolen it." Moody looked at Kanda questioningly.

"My main job is to protect the person, not the objects," Kanda reminded him coldly. "If the poltergeist had not irritated me I would have left him alone. As it happened, he did and I had just managed to make him drop it and drive him off when you appeared." His hand was still out for the egg and Filch relinquished it with no argument. Harry found that strange, but was too busy making sure he stayed unnoticed by Snape and Filch to react.

"Well then, if that is all then I am going back to bed," Snape said. He gave a meaningful glance to Kanda before sweeping away, looking decidedly less scary in his baggy grey nightshirt than his usual black cloak.

"I do my rounds best unaccompanied," Kanda said, glaring at Moody, who shrugged.

"If you wish," the ex-Auror said, walking up the stairs. "Does your guard dog know you're here?" he whispered as he passed Harry, who jumped slightly before nodding, seeing no reason to lie. There was no more communication between them as the teacher left.

"I'll go look around Professor Snape's office as soon as I have dropped this off," Kanda told Filch, who nodded.

"I'll ask the ghosts if they saw anything," the caretaker said, before walking off.

Kanda returned to Harry's side.

"That was close," he hissed. "Be more careful. We're going back now and kami help you if you get almost caught again." Harry didn't reply, scared by his companion's change in attitude. Kanda led them at a brisk pace back to the Fat Lady, pausing just long enough to thrust the egg back at Harry before speaking the password.

"Back again, Kanda?" she asked, yawning as she swung open. Kanda didn't reply, stalking up to the dormitory and making sure that Harry got into bed before leaving. The Boy Who Lived stared at the ceiling. He had a lot to think about.

The next morning he told Ron and Hermione what he'd learnt about the challenge – the mysterious conversation between the three staff and Kanda could stay quiet. Neither of them could think of a method of breathing underwater so they agreed to spend all of their spare time in the library, doing research. Kanda seemed to be constantly tense, always looking around as if he expected something to happen. The Japanese's behaviour appeared to affect Harry's own, as he soon realised that he too had become very twitchy. It was only when Kanda seemed to make eye contact with Allen across a hallway, the white-haired boy shaking his head, before he calmed down at all, although he was still edgier than Harry had ever seen him before. It was as if he was expecting an attack.

He'd almost forgotten that he'd sent a letter to Sirius detailing everything that had happened on his night time adventure so when, only two days before the task, he received an owl he was, initially, very surprised, before reading it.

_Send date of next Hogsmeade weekend by return owl._

That was it; he scowled as he remembered that he'd forgotten to mention the task. He sent the owl back immediately with the date (weekend after next), before pushing it out of his mind and trying desperately to find something that would help him.

He began to live in the library, only leaving it when he was chivvied out at night by Madam Pince, as he scoured book after book, assisted by Ron and Hermione. Kanda, as usual, did nothing but meditate – it looked very much like sleeping that Harry suddenly wondered if that was how he managed to keep guard outside the common room all night occasionally and still be fresh the next morning before pushing the thought away in favour of searching for a way to pass the task.

The night before the task, Fred and George appeared in the library, making the trio jump. Kanda didn't react; he had obviously noticed them approaching.

"McGonagall wants to see you two, Ron, Hermione," they said, almost apologetically as Harry sighed, wondering if it couldn't wait until they'd finished… But no, they had to go and he groaned in despair. Kanda didn't seem to mind that he was failing, but then again if Harry couldn't find a way then he wouldn't have to go near the lake, would he?

He fell asleep in the library, only awakening the next day when Kanda poked him rather harshly. Bleary eyed, he wondered why Madam Pince hadn't kicked him out before being made aware of the small creature bouncing up and down in front of him excitedly.

"Dobby?" he asked incredulously.

"Harry Potter has to get up now," the house elf said agitatedly. "The task starts in ten minutes!" Ten… ten minutes? He looked down and groaned.

"I can't," he muttered. "I don't know how."

"But you must! They have your Wheezy!"

"My… what?" Harry didn't understand.

"Ronald," Kanda translated. "_What you'll sorely miss_," he quoted.

"But I don't know how to breathe underwater!" Harry panicked. Dobby thrust something slimy at him.

"Gillyweed, sir!" he squeaked. "You have to eat it right before you go in the lake!"

"But what does it do?" Harry asked, at a loss.

"It lets you breathe underwater, sir!" Dobby explained, still bouncing up and down. Harry looked at it, then him, then Kanda, before taking it. "Good luck, sir!" the house elf called as Harry dashed down to the lake, Kanda hot on his heels.

**I'm so sorry this took so long to write. Uni assignments decided to pile up and writer's block's being stubborn… But that's enough of my excuses.**

**This chapter was supposed to cover all four Champions, but as you can see it got really long, so it looks like it'll get split into at least 2 (I don't think any of the others will be this long because a lot of this is the Snape/Moody/Filch bit, which the others won't have, so I might be able to fit the other three all into one chapter. I'll see how it goes). Because I wasn't expecting it to be so long, the part I've already got planned out in my head is now a few chapters further away, so updates may well stay erratic until I reach that point.**

**Kanda can't swim: This is canon! At least, suspected canon. In the first translation I read of his escape from the CROW as a child, it states that "I drowned", suggesting that he couldn't swim. This was later translated in the official books as "I froze to death", but I like the idea of Kanda not being able to swim so I'm keeping it like that. It also makes the story more interesting! (The wiki page also says "it is implied that Kanda cannot swim".)**

**Replies to Guest reviews:**

_**Guest**_**: Allen and Luna would be great friends, which made them very easy to write, and both their personalities lend to them being 'cute' together, as you put it!**

**Thanks for reading!  
Tsari**


	18. Cracking the Egg: Cedric

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_Harry Potter_** or **_ -Man_**.**

Chapter 18 – Cracking the Egg (Cedric)

Once the Yule Ball was over with and the Christmas Holidays began to draw to a close, Cedric came back to Earth with an unwelcome bump. With Cho now his official girlfriend, he felt compelled to spend as much time with her as possible, but the riddle of the egg was constantly in the back of his mind. Never mind the fact that he'd been told how to crack it by a teacher – who was definitely not supposed to be helping him. Then again, Professor Moody had pulled Harry away straight after the younger boy had informed him about the dragons, so maybe he condoned cheating? But that was a puzzle for another time. The urgent one was, quite simply, how he was going to breathe underwater for the hour they were given to retrieve whatever the merfolk had stolen.

"You need to relax," Marvin told him sternly when he found him once again rifling through his spellbooks to see what he could find that would help him. Cedric shook his head.

"I'll relax once I've got a way to breathe underwater," he said. "Feel free to help." That was added sarcastically. All his friends were checking spellbooks whenever they could – only occasionally so as not to arouse suspicions from the teachers, because Cedric was supposed to work this out by himself – and even Cho had promised to keep an eye out for anything that might be useful. Lavi, of course, was being unhelpful when it came to solving this particular puzzle, although he continued to be a godsend with the rest of his homework.

"I'm not allowed to help," he had reminded them when his friends had insisted that he also look for something. "My job is to keep Cedric alive, and preferably unharmed, outside of the tasks. Inside them, I can only do something if he's threatened by something that's not part of the task."

Lavi had, however, been gracious enough to collect him after curfew the night after Professor Moody had informed him that the egg could only be understood underwater.

"Professor Wenhamm's given me permission to take you out on this little late-night excursion," he'd explained upon noticing Cedric's confusion – Lavi had always been vehemently against rule-breaking, just like the other Rōzukurosu Academy students were (from what he'd seen. Harry certainly was having no luck breaking curfew). "Not that any of the Hogwarts Professors know this, so we'll have to be careful." Amazingly, they had encountered no-one on the way to their chosen destination and were able to quietly sneak inside.

Used to the privileges that came with being a prefect, Cedric hadn't wasted time playing with all the different bubbles, instead selecting his preferred one and quickly settling in the water, holding the egg in his hands.

"Is it normal for Rōzukurosu students to be present when others are bathing?" he had asked jokingly, trying to diffuse the feeling of anticipation that was steadily growing as his fingers had found the join in the egg.

"We've got oriental-style hot springs," Lavi had informed him. "So we all bathe together. It takes a bit of getting used to if you're not Yu, Lena, Chaoji, Professor Komui, Professor Zu or Professor Bak – that is, those of us not from Japan or China – but the size of the baths more than makes up for it." He'd gestured at the large bath Cedric was in. "The boys' bath is easily three times the size of this one. The girls' is probably smaller, because there's less of them, but I've never been in there so I don't know." His face had turned serious. "We don't have time to be chatting. Open the thing already."

Cedric had nodded before taking a deep breath and diving under the surface, gripping the egg firmly and wrenching it open.

The song that had greeted him was quickly memorised and he could be heard repeating it under his breath as he scoured the library.

"_Come seek us where our voices sound,  
We cannot sing above the ground,  
And while you're searching, ponder this:  
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,  
An hour long you'll have to look,  
To recover what we took,  
But past an hour – the prospect's black  
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back._"

Unceremoniously dumping the now-cracked egg, closed, on the side of the bath, he had leaned back against the edge and closed his eyes.

"Lavi," he'd asked. "If I ask you a question relating to the riddle, can you answer it?"

"Nope." Lavi's tone of voice had told Cedric that either he'd already known what the task was about, or that he'd already worked it out just from Cedric's own mutterings. Neither would have helped him, though, if the redhead couldn't answer questions pertaining to it, so he had put it out of his mind as he continued to mutter to himself. Logic and riddles were not his strong point.

Eyes closed, he hadn't seen the mermaid in the stained glass window soundlessly giggling to herself as he idly traced random patterns in the surrounding bubbles with his finger.

"_We cannot sing above the ground_," he had quoted, pondering. Not being able to sing above the ground implied that they lived underneath it. Perhaps they had to dig? No, that couldn't be it… Deciding to ignore that bit for now, he had continued. "_We've taken what you'll sorely miss._" What would he sorely miss? It was obvious that the aim of the task was retrieval, from whatever creature it was that couldn't sing above the ground. "_An hour long you've got to look_." Again, obvious. The last line concerned him. _"It won't come back_." It sounded as if there was a price to pay for not succeeding within the hour. He'd pushed that from his mind. Once he knew where the task would be and what he would be facing he could work out a method of succeeding within the hour.

But the first line had continued to stump him. To his credit, Lavi had not interrupted his musings or attempted to hurry him at all. In fact, if it wasn't for the steady breathing he could hear over the hissing of deflating bubbles and movement of the water he would have thought that he was alone.

"Well it's obvious that I'm dealing with some form of magical creature," he had eventually declared. "But what creature is capable of human speech, but not on land?" He had idly kicked a foot out as he said this and the sloshing of the water as it lapped against the edges of the bath caught his attention. His eyes had shot open and landed on the image of the hysterical mermaid. Suddenly it had clicked.

"Merfolk!" he had exclaimed, splashing the water again. "Which means… I've got to spend an hour in the Black Lake." His voice had died down to little more than a whisper as the implications had hit him. He had turned his head to look at Lavi.

"Are you done?" the redhead had asked, offering him a towel, which Cedric had accepted. Heading back to the dorm had been as uneventful as sneaking out had been and Lavi had soon left Cedric in the common room.

Cedric hadn't got much sleep that night.

The Ball had taken his nerves away, almost to the point of forgetting about the task entirely, as he spent a lovely evening with Cho. Lavi had stayed away for the most part; Cedric had vaguely noticed the Rōzukurosu students gathering together and drifting in and out of the Great Hall almost at random, most likely following whatever Champion had left. They didn't seem to be sticking to the usual relationships as Lavi could be seen with Harry and Kanda and Allen appeared to drift outside after Fleur, but for most of the evening he had been too engrossed in Cho's beauty to notice. The thought of the egg only resurfaced when he saw Harry at the end, remembering that he owed him for the tip on the dragons.

He wished he was a bit more coherent with his hint, but they only had a brief time in which to interact and he was sure that several people were close enough to eavesdrop if they were so inclined. Not wanted to get caught for cheating, he had said only as much as he dared before escorting Cho – once again shadowed by Lavi who was, to his credit, pretending he didn't exist so as to give them as much privacy as possible – to her common room before flopping down in one of the many chairs in his own and despairing over the egg.

School started again and his research time was cut dramatically as he once again had to focus in his lessons.

He had high hopes of passing Care of Magical Creatures this year, as Professor Nine had continued to prove that she was a highly capable teacher. He was dreading the return of Hagrid next year, seeing as that would herald the return of less savoury creatures. He was still thankful that he didn't have to spend much time with those Blast-Ended Skrewts the poor fourth years were having to raise. He was beginning to suspect that there was at least some manticore in them.

"Professor?" Angelina asked suddenly as they drew detailed sketches of a flobberworm – it was impressive how much detail there was on such a simple creature.

"Yes, Miss Johnson?" Her voice sounded almost as if she had expected a question sooner or later.

"Is it true that Professor Hagrid's resigning?" The whole class had gone quiet as they awaited Professor Nine's answer.

"This is about that article in the _Daily Prophet_, isn't it?" the blonde woman sighed. Half the class nodded, while Cedric made a mental note to seek out the latest edition as soon as possible. "Please bear in mind that newspapers make their money from propaganda and exaggeration, and that very little of what is written in one should be taken literally. To my knowledge Professor Hagrid is not resigning; he will be returning to teaching you all next year as was always planned." Her tone made it clear that further discussion on the subject was prohibited and the sixth years returned to their work.

To Cedric's delight, a _Daily Prophet_ was lying around in the common room that evening, after Lavi had dragged him out of the library (all the while exclaiming that it was ridiculous that he – the biggest bookworm on the planet – was dragging someone _out_ of a library) and he picked it up. The reason for Angelina's question was immediately clear.

_DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE_

_Albus Dumbledore, eccentric Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has never been afraid to make controversial staff appointments, _writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent_. In September of this year, he hired Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, the notoriously jinx-happy ex-Auror, to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts, a decision that caused many raised eyebrows at the Ministry of Magic, given Moody's well known habit of attacking anybody who makes a sudden movement in his presence. Mad-Eye Moody, however, looks responsible and kindly, when set behind the part-human Dumbledore employs to teach Care of Magical Creatures._

_Rubeus Hagrid, who admits to being expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, has enjoyed the position of gamekeeper at the school ever since, a job secured for him by Dumbledore. Last year, however, Hagrid used his mysterious influence over the Headmaster to secure the additional post of care of Magical Creatures teacher, over the heads of many better-qualified candidates, including the current exchange teacher Cloud Nine, who is one of two Care of Magical Creatures at Rōzukurosu Academy of Combat Magic, the same Academy that has provided the four somewhat disturbed children who are protecting the Triwizard Tournament champions._

_An alarmingly large and ferocious-looking man, Hagrid has been using his new-found authority to terrify the students in his care with a succession of horrific creatures. While Dumbledore turns a blind eye, Hagrid has maimed several pupils during a series of lessons that many admit to be 'very frightening'._

"_I was attacked by a Hippogriff, and my friend Vincent Crabbe got a bad bite off a Flobberworm," says Draco Malfoy, a fourth-year student. "We all hate Hagrid, but we're just too scared to say anything."_

_Hagrid has no intention of ceasing his campaign of intimidation, however. In conversation with a _Daily Prophet_ reporter last month he admitted breeding creatures he has dubbed 'Blast-Ended Skrewts', highly dangerous crosses between manticores and fire crabs. The creation of new breeds of magical creature is, of course, an activity usually closely observed by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Hagrid, it seems, considers himself to be above such petty restrictions._

"_I was just having some fun," he says, before hastily changing the subject. It is unknown if Cloud Nine is aware of her current colleague's illegal actions in creating the creatures she is currently teaching the fourth year students to handle._

_As if this were not enough, the _Daily Prophet_ has now unearthed evidence that Hagrid is not – as he has always pretended – a pure-blood wizard. He is not, in fact, even pure human. His mother, we can exclusively reveal, is none other than the giantess Fridwulfa, whose whereabouts are unknown._

_Bloodthirsty and brutal, the giants brought themselves to the point of extinction by warring among themselves during the last century. The handful that remained joined the ranks of He Who Must Not Be Named, and were responsible for some of the worst mass Muggle-killings of his reign of terror._

_While many of the giants who served He Who Must Not Be Named were killed by Aurors working against the Dark side, Fridwulfa was not among them. It is possible that she escaped to one of the giant communities still existing in foreign mountain ranges. If his antics during Care of Magical Creatures lessons are any guide, however, Fridwulfa's son appears to have inherited her violent nature._

_In a bizarre twist, Hagrid is reputed to have developed a close friendship with the boy who brought about You-Know-Who's fall from power – thereby driving Hagrid's own mother, like the rest of You-Know-Who's supporters, into hiding. Perhaps Harry Potter is unaware of the unpleasant truth about his large friend – but Albus Dumbledore surely has a duty to ensure that Harry Potter, along with his fellow students, is warned about the dangers of associating with part-giants._

_In light of this, the Ministry of Magic is reported to be considering asking Cloud Nine to assume a full-time position at Hogwarts instead of returning to the elusive Rōzukurosu Academy at the end of the year, as was originally arranged. Little is known about her, or the monkey that appears to be her constant companion, but her teaching credentials are far more satisfactory than Hagrid's, and in the short time since taking the position as the temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher she has already secured a better record as, despite her students handling dangerous creatures, including Hagrid's own Blast-Ended Skrewts, there have been no reports of any injuries in any of her classes. Your reporter has so far been unable to interview her on the matter._

Cedric wished he was more surprised about Hagrid's ancestry, but the man's stature had always been a dead giveaway. He also wished he was surprised that the young Malfoy had spouted a load of nonsense in order to lower Hagrid's reputation even further.

Yawning, and begrudgingly accepting that the newspaper had nothing to do with how to breathe underwater, he put it down and headed to his dorm to sleep.

As the task neared, Cedric began to worry more and more. None of the books he had scoured during all his hours in the library had been of any help, and Lavi's extensive knowledge was, for once, not at his disposal as the redhead stubbornly refused to help him outside of his academic work.

In the end, it was a Charms lesson that came to his rescue. Despite his desperation to run to the library and continue researching – the task was a little over a week away by this point – his NEWTs were the following year and he had to concentrate in his lessons, which involved not ditching them. Either way, he was very relieved that he hadn't given into the temptation to skip when they began to study charms that could be cast upon the caster. He nearly hit himself when they turned to the relevant pages in the next book and saw, clear as day, the instructions on how to perform the Bubble Head Charm.

They weren't studying that particular charm in the lesson, but Cedric stayed behind at the end to ask more about the theory. Professor Flitwick couldn't openly teach him it, but seeing as it was on the syllabus he could answer questions. By the end of the impromptu lesson Cedric knew everything he needed to know to attempt to practise it.

Lavi was once again dragged to the prefect bathroom, this time before curfew, accompanied by his male friends – Ailey had understandably been omitted from this particular venture, as had Cho – where he spent the next hour diving under the water and attempting to cast the charm. It was far easier than he had feared and, unlike the first task, he actually felt ready.

The morning of the task rolled around and he tumbled out of bed, hurriedly dressing himself before making his way to the lake, skipping breakfast. The last thing he needed was a cramp while he was in the lake, all too aware of the not so pleasant creatures that inhabited it.

**Okay, so this isn't the best chapter I've ever written, but like with Harry there's too much stuff to cram it in with another character, so it looks like this'll be split into four parts, one per champion. Sorry there's not much Lavi. I tried, but he didn't want to get involved because this chapter's all about Cedric working out how to crack the egg (which is written in past tense because that happened before the Yule Ball) and how to breathe underwater, neither of which Lavi is allowed to assist with.**

**I needed a character other than Cedric to already know about the article, and as Angelina Johnson (a Chaser in the Gryffindor Quidditch team and later Team Captain for those of you that haven't read the books), is a known sixth year I just picked her. I've got no idea if she actually took Care of Magical Creatures or not. ****As Rita's too much fun to skip, I transferred her article (complete with a few of my own additions) into Cedric's chapter, as opposed to Harry's.**

**Thanks for reading!  
Tsari**


	19. Cracking the Egg: Krum

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 19 – Cracking the Egg (Krum)

As pleasant as his evening with Herm-own-ninny had been, the aftermath was not as good. He could deal with the rather unsubtle glares sent his way by the redhead boy, but his own high master's disapproval was clear.

"She's a muggleborn!" he spluttered the next morning. "Why, Viktor? You could have taken any female in the castle, and you chose a muggleborn?" Krum didn't bother to reply. Herm-own-ninny had been kind to him and, most importantly, didn't care about his fame. He suspected that the young Hogwarts champion, Harry, had also chosen a girl that didn't care about his status. He waited respectfully until Karkaroff had finished ranting and then left the boat, making his way instead over to the Great Hall, where he knew Allen would be waiting for him.

The white haired boy didn't disappoint. He was engaged in a conversation with the pale haired boy – Malfoy. Apparently there was distaste concerning Allen's companion as well. Krum didn't see why – she had been a charming young lady, from what he had seen.

"Your family is upper class, is it not?" Allen said suddenly to Malfoy, who looked torn between being proud and incredulous. The Malfoy name was well known, after all; Krum had heard mention of it many times at Durmstrang. "Then you should know that that is no way to refer to a lady." Malfoy gaped, looking rather like a fish out of water, seemingly unable to find a retort. "And your pureblood arguments hold no weight in this context, either," Allen continued. "Although I still have no idea why family names are so important."

"Just because your school and everyone in it seems to live under a rock, doesn't mean you have a right to talk like that," Malfoy finally found his voice. "The Lovegoods are no better than the Weasleys in terms of blood status."

"I still fail to see why a person's family should have any relevance," Allen countered.

"Because those of us with pure blood have stronger magic," Malfoy said haughtily. "It's common sense." Allen sighed despairingly.

"But not common decency," he pointed out. "Now, please excuse me but I believe Viktor has arrived." He turned his head most definitely away from Malfoy in a silent snub as he smiled in greeting. Krum wondered when he'd learnt to play the pureblood game so well that he could trump a Malfoy in the art of disguising rudeness with empty manners.

"Did you enjoy last night?" Krum asked Allen. "She seemed a nice girl."

"She was lovely company," Allen smiled. "And you? I apologise for not accompanying you the entire time, but I thought that you and Hermione would appreciate it if I didn't hover."

"Do not vorry about it," Krum shrugged. "I vould not vant to take avay from your evening by making you protect me. Christmas should be a fun time for all."

"Indeed it should," Allen agreed. A slight shadow passed over his face, but it was so fleeting Krum doubted it was even there.

Krum spent the rest of the holidays staring at the golden egg that sat oh so innocently next to his bed. He didn't open it any more, not after his fellow students yelled at him for making all that racket, and had instead taken to inspecting the outside, in the hopes that it would give him a clue. So far, the egg was guarding its secrets as jealously as it had been guarded by the dragon.

* * *

He stood on the prow of the ship, egg in one hand as he looked down at the still black waters below him. The moon shone above him as he remembered why he was there. It had been Poliakoff that had opened the way when he'd picked up the egg and wrenched it open before slamming it shut at the piercing noise before someone came to yell. Again.

"What if it's a creature?" he had asked in their native language.

"Does that sound like a creature to you?" Krum had asked sceptically, glancing at Allen. The white haired boy didn't seem to mind what language they conversed in but he tried to talk in his patchy English whenever possible. Poliakoff had caught the look.

"Vell the first task vas a dragon," he had pointed out, returning to English. "And there are records of a manticore in previous tournaments."

"Do you know what a manticore sounds like?" Krum had asked. Poliakoff shook his head.

"No, but you've already faced one deadly creature. These tasks would be boring if they vere always against something like that."

"So it is not a creature," Krum had deadpanned. "Make your mind up."

"This task seems like one involving intellect," Poliakoff had pointed out. "Otherwise vhy haff you been given a clue instead of basic instructions?"

"Vhat has that got to do with a creature?" Krum had demanded.

"You haff not been given a place, haff you?" Poliakoff had pointed out. "So this task is probably set in a habitat that's specific to a certain creature."

"So the forest," Krum had said. "If it's not in the castle then it vill be in the grounds."

"Vhat about the lake?" Poliakoff had asked suddenly.

"You mean, they vill expect us to go svimming?" Krum had wondered. "That doesn't seem too bad."

That was why he was ready to dive into the cold waters in the middle of the night. If the egg screamed at him again he would be having words with Poliakoff.

He entered the water smoothly, as he always did. Treading water, he looked at the innocent looking lump of gold in his hands before shrugging.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered in Bulgarian before shoving it under the water and wrenching it open. The noise that admitted was not, as he had expected, the horrifying screams, but instead almost melodic. Taking a deep breath, he dunked his head under and caught the end of a song.

"_We've taken what you'll sorely miss,  
An hour long you'll have to look,  
To recover what we took,  
But past an hour – the prospect's black  
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."_

It was, to his surprise, in his native language. He resurfaced to take a breath of air before dunking his head back under in an attempt to catch the start of the song as it looped round. He was successful.

"_Come seek us where our voices sound,__  
__We cannot sing above the ground,__  
__And while you're searching, ponder this:__  
__We've taken what you'll sorely miss,__  
__An hour long you'll have to look,__  
__To recover what we took,__  
__But past an hour – the prospect's black__  
__Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.__"_

It took a couple more renditions before he had committed it to memory, but once he had he closed the egg and trod water once again, pondering. The first two lines were obvious. The task would take place in the lake he was currently in, where some species would have something of his. The time limit was also self-explanatory. That was the only bit Krum really worried about. Breathing underwater required difficult magic, and there was no way he could hold his breath that long.

"Hey, you!" a voice called out. He turned his head to see an irate figure standing on the lakeside. "What are you doing?" He swam towards them and recognised them as Kanda. The sword was unsheathed and held over the Japanese's right shoulder.

"I vas vorking out the egg," Krum explained once he was close enough to talk without shouting.

"And you didn't tell Moyashi you were going to be out of bed after curfew?" Kanda demanded. "Idiot." He brought something small and black out of his uniform and it hovered in front of him.

"Oy, Moyashi!" he said. Krum was mildly surprised to hear Allen's voice emit from the thing.

"It's Allen, BaKanda!"

"Whatever, Moyashi," Kanda scoffed. "I've got your champion here. Get over here."

"Where's 'here'?" Allen asked.

"Follow Tim," Kanda said shortly. The small thing – it resembled a bat now that Krum had had a good look at it – moved to hover by his shoulder as he returned his attention to the Bulgarian.

"Vhat is going on?" Krum asked, emerging from the water at Kanda's silent demand. There was a flash of green and the girl – Lenalee – appeared. Her boots looked slightly different and were surrounded by a green glow, which quickly dulled to nothing. "Vhy are all of you out of bed?"

"Why are you out of bed?" the redhead asked, approaching. "Moyashi's on his way. You know how his sense of direction is…" Krum held up the egg in answer and Lavi sighed. "At least Cedric had the foresight to tell me when he went for his midnight swim," he muttered.

"You did not answer my question," Krum pointed out.

"We're not just responsible for your safety, but the safety of everyone in the castle," Lenalee explained as an unmistakeable white head emerged from the forest. "So after curfew we do a round to check for anything that shouldn't be here before we go to bed ourselves."

"Viktor," Allen panted, having finally arrived. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to do it tonight?"

"I did not think it mattered that I vould be out of the ship for a short while," Krum admitted. "I haff never had a problem in the lake, and did not think it vorth bothering you vhen I thought you vould be asleep. If I knew you did these rounds I vould haff mentioned it."

"It never crossed your mind that the lake might be dangerous at night?" Kanda demanded. "Go back to bed."

"Kanda's right," Lenalee said, more softly. "It's more dangerous at night. We're responsible for your safety – all four of us, even if Allen is the only one that accompanies you all the time."

"Most of you are younger than me," Krum pointed out. "How is it too dangerous for me, but not for you?"

"Combat School," Kanda said shortly. "We're trained to deal with whatever this place throws at us. You're not. Now back to bed, before I make you."

"Fine," Krum said. "Good night." He made to go back into the waters but four hands rested on his shoulders.

"Where do you think you're going?" Lavi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You're not going back in the water," Allen added.

"The plank is up," Krum pointed out. "How else am I supposed to get back?"

"Hold onto me," Lenalee said. He blinked in surprised. "I won't drop you."

"Vhat are you planning?" he asked. "How is a small girl like you going to get me back to the ship?"

"Like this," she said, grabbing him and jumping. He wasn't sure if her being capable of jumping whilst keeping hold of him, or how high they went with no signs of stopping, was more surprising. Glancing down, he saw that her boots were glowing green again.

"Vhat?" he demanded as she set him down.

"It's nothing," she smiled. "Go to bed." Dripping wet, he decided to obey her and headed into the cabin, glancing behind him in time to see her jump back off of the ship.

* * *

The next morning was very awkward. Kanda was shooting him black looks across the Hall, while Allen's smile seemed a tad forced. Lavi and Lenalee were ignoring him completely, but that was nothing different, as they were both busy with Cedric and Fleur.

He returned to pondering the quandary that now faced him. Poliakoff had demanded details about his swim, and he had recited everything up until the Rōzukurosu Academy students appeared. He wasn't entirely sure he'd imagined Lenalee's strange feat, so he didn't mention it, nor indeed did he mention any of them, choosing to say he'd climbed back up the netting at the side after getting cold. Allen didn't call him out on his white lie, so he supposed it was okay.

Poliakoff had been ecstatic at the idea that he was right.

"Merfolk," he had said. "It has to be merfolk!" Having read several books on magical creatures in Hogwarts library, Krum was inclined to agree with him. What he didn't agree with was the boy's emphasis on the riddle.

"I am more interested in how to breathe undervater for one hour than vhat vill be taken," he retorted when Poliakoff brought it up yet again. "Find me a vay to survive and then I vill discuss that vith you."

"Ve could alvays ask Professor Karkaroff," Poliakoff suggested half-heartedly. Krum didn't even dignify that with a response. Not only was it cheating, but Karkaroff was being overly helpful anyway. Krum wanted to manage without his High Master's help. "Library?" the other suggested more seriously.

An idea struck Krum as they entered, Allen having been uncharacteristically quiet that morning, and he headed to the transfiguration section.

"Vhat are ve going here?" Poliakoff whispered harshly.

"Charms are not my strong point," Krum pointed out, pulling out a book on transfiguring underwater creatures.

"You're going to transfigure something into a frog and get that to retrieve vhatever it is?" Poliakoff asked. "Vhat if it's too big for a frog to carry?"

"Then I vill use something different," Krum snapped. "Now quiet." He noticed Herm-own-ninny reading in a quiet corner and considered going over to her, before remembering that she was friends with another champion. It would be better if he mastered his method of completing the task before he spent time with her, lest she get in trouble with that hot-headed redhead, who seemed determined to hate Krum as much as possible.

The idea of a shark amused him and he read the spell, only to realise that it was how to transfigure oneself into a shark, either completely or partially.

"You only need a shark's head," Poliakoff said, looking over his shoulder. "And you'll keep the merfolk away." Krum studied the page. It didn't seem too complicated, aside from the whole transforming himself bit, but he still had a month to practise that. Taking out some parchment and a quill, he copied out the page word for word before returning it to the shelf.

"I'll leave you alone, then," Poliakoff said with a sly glance across at the bushy-haired girl. Krum caught the look and supposed that he should probably see if she wanted company. He'd come up with a solution so there was no reason why he couldn't sit with her if she wanted it. Nodding a farewell to Poliakoff, who left the room, he wandered over to her.

"Viktor!" she said in surprise, looking up as his shadow fell over her books and work. He was impressed with the neatness of her handwriting. "Do you want to sit down?"

"If I am not disrupting you," he said awkwardly.

"Not at all," she gushed, shifting some books so that the seat next to her was free.

"Vhat are you studying?" he asked, noticing that Allen had grabbed a book and was sitting on a nearby table, just out of earshot but still in plain sight. To his surprise, the younger boy seemed actually engrossed in his book. There was no sign that he was actually keeping watch. Slightly unnerved, he concentrated as Herm-own-ninny explained the finer points of the Arithmancy she was dealing with.

His days became filled with lessons and library conversations with the bushy haired girl, while his evenings, after curfew but still accompanied by one of the Rōzukurosu students – not always Allen; Lavi or Lenalee occasionally watched him instead – were spent practising turning into a shark. The full transformation was not that difficult, and he perfected it after only a few days, but the partial transformation took far longer for him to master, even with the encouragements from his companion – whichever one it happened to be – and he only mastered it a week before the task itself.

The morning of the task dawned and he skipped breakfast, only making a brief appearance in order to pick up Allen, who appeared to have finally got over the midnight incident the previous month and was back to his usual gentlemanly self. There was no point eating directly before going swimming – he would get a cramp which would not help his case. Neither he nor Poliakoff had any idea what had been taken. A thorough search of his quarters had revealed that nothing was missing, and so he approached the crowd at the edge of the lake with more than a little dread. He'd swum in the lake plenty of times, but this was not for leisure, and he'd have a far larger audience than he was used to.

**My apologies for the gap in updates. As those of you who check my profile will know, I had three major assignments to do and so all my fics were put on hold until they were finished. As always, information on updates can be found on my profile (you have to scroll down a bit but it's there), which I try to keep up-to-date.**

**This chapter was very difficult. For the first time, I had absolutely nothing to work with from canon, because there's no hints about what Krum gets up to between the Yule Ball and the second task, aside from a few meetings with Hermione. I'm going to have this problem with Fleur as well, but after that I've more or less got the whole story sorted in my head. I just need to type it up.**

**People have been begging for the Exorcist's Innocence to be used – so there you go. Lenalee used her Dark Boots, even though Krum has no idea why she was capable of doing what she did. Hope that satisfies you for now.**

**If you think Krum worked out the shark thing too easily, sorry. I wanted a change because Harry always struggles to the last minute but remember that these tasks were designed for older students, so they shouldn't have as much trouble working it out, as a general rule.**

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_**Guest:**_** Rōzukurosu Academy was deleted for two reasons. One is that it had been reported for being too similar to Goblet of Fire itself and I didn't want to deal with all the hassle that would otherwise inevitably occur. The second reason is because while I had some plans for it, my muse for it has pretty much gone. If it comes back, I will re-write it and re-upload it, but that will not be for some time as I have several fics on the go at the moment for which I do have muses, and others in the works that also have muses.**

**Thanks for reading!  
Tsari**


	20. Cracking the Egg: Fleur

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 20 – Cracking the Egg (Fleur)

Fleur had made it her business to thank Cho the moment she saw her for the recommendation of taking Roger to the Ball. He had been a perfect date – never spoke when he wasn't spoken to, agreed with everything she'd said… Oh, and he'd been a fairly decent kisser, too. She felt marginally guilty knowing that she'd perhaps led him on more than she'd intended to, because unless a date was required again, she'd probably not spend any time with him again. He'd been nice, just not her type. Yes, that's right. Fleur Delacour, champion of _L'académie de Magie de Beauxbâtons_, was not interested in smartly dressed and well-groomed young men, much to her family's dismay. But there were none of the boys she did approve of around, so she stopped thinking about that. It was a shame, really. She'd hoped there'd be at least one in the two other schools that were present.

Unfortunately for her, the lack of interesting boys was the least of her worries, as she glared at the egg that sat daintily on her bed as she got dressed for the day. She was positive that there was some sort of melody embedded within the screaming, but had no idea how to isolate it. None of the charms she knew had worked and it was beyond frustrating. She'd thrown it at the wall several times, but all that succeeded in doing was opening it and filling the carriage with screeching, to her fellow students' displeasure. More than one irate girl had thrown a _silencio _at it which, for some infuriating reason, failed to work. Not a single silencing spell did.

Her uniform arranged perfectly, she sent the egg one last withering glare before leaving with Gabrielle for the Great Hall, where Lenalee was, of course, waiting for her.

"No luck?" the Chinese girl asked sympathetically. She shook her head.

"All it is doing is screeching," she said. "I can 'ear ze melody, but it will not separate from ze ozzer noise!"

"I wish I could help," Lenalee sighed. "But unfortunately I don't know, and even if I did I wouldn't be allowed to tell you."

"Zat is okay," Fleur reassured her. "I want to work zis out on my own." After all, not only was it against the rules, but as the only female there was a lot of pressure on her to do well – at least to equal the boys if not win outright. Seeing Roger appearing for breakfast, she quickly finished up and made herself scarce, Lenalee hot on her heels as always. Gabrielle was left with the other girls – she'd become good friends with Luna since Allen had asked her to the Ball – but knew that they were heading back to the carriage.

"'Ow are you doing?" Fleur jumped as the voice of her headmistress boomed out from behind her. Lenalee didn't react other than to turn and face her – clearly she'd already noticed the large witch. Her vigilance was reassuring. "'Ave you worked out ze egg yet? I think ze girls and I would like a quiet night sometime soon, _oui_?" The words sounded scolding, but Fleur knew her headmistress well enough to spot the mirth in her eyes and recognise the words as encouragement.

"Not yet, Madame Maxime," she admitted. "I am 'aving difficulty separating ze melody from ze screaming."

"Well ze carriage is empty at ze moment," Madame Maxime informed her. "Per'aps you should take zis opportunity not to annoy ze ozzer girls?" She turned to Lenalee. "I apologise for ze racket you 'ave to put up wiz. Unfortunately, I did not 'ave a say in ze clues. Zat blame rests solely on ze shoulders of _Monsieur _Crouch and _Monsieur _Bagman."

"And I imagine Kanda will be expressing his displeasure to them if Harry doesn't work it out soon," Lenalee admitted. "He doesn't have the best of tempers, and loud noises get on his nerves rather quickly."

"'E will 'ave my blessing," Madame Maxime informed her solemnly. "Along wiz ze blessing of all my girls, I would zink." Fleur agreed whole-heartedly.

"I'll be sure to pass that on," Lenalee smiled.

"Good. Now zen, per'aps you ladies should get to work on zat egg before ze ozzers return from breakfast?" the woman suggested. Not waiting for an answer, she walked off. Fleur waited until she had entered the castle before turning back to face the carriage.

"Let's deal with zis egg," she said firmly, walking purposefully towards it. Lenalee smiled and followed her. The egg was, predictably, sitting on the blankets where Fleur had left it prior to breakfast, and the French girl fixed it with a stern look before picking it up and walking out of the carriage. "No need to keep annoying ze ozzers." Lenalee agreed and they found themselves on the far edge of the lake, away from both the castle and the Durmstrang ship.

At a warning from Fleur, Lenalee braced herself for the noise before the egg was once again opened. The by-now familiar screech split the air as Fleur listened intently. There was definitely a melody in there – of that she was certain – and the more she listened, the clearer it became. She'd noticed this before, but then someone would yell at her to shut it up before she could really start to listen. Now, she could hum along without thinking, but was still at a loss as to what was so important about the melody. If she had to guess, she would say that it was probably a song, but how to distinguish the words, if that were the case? There had to be a way.

Spells couldn't do it. That she'd already established pretty well after hours of throwing every spell she could think of at it. So there had to be a condition that required meeting, but what? The screeching was getting very intrusive by this point, but she refused to close it. Lenalee had given up and was now covering her ears with her hands, but to her credit she hadn't asked Fleur to shut it.

A hoarse noise caught her attention, even above the racket, and she glanced over to the source and nearly toppled over in shock. A female creature had surfaced from the lake and was glaring at her. Sighing, she shut the egg, to the creature's obvious relief. The hoarse noise repeated once again and the creature disappeared. Snatches of the same melody emerged from the lake and Fleur felt like kicking herself. It was mersong. Of course!

"Up to a bath?" she asked Lenalee. The Chinese girl looked at her quizzically, before shaking her head vigorously, slapping her ears. Fleur gleaned that the egg had deafened her slightly, and waited patiently while she tried to get her ears to stop ringing.

"I'm sorry," Lenalee apologised a few minutes later. "What was that?"

"Interested in a bath?" Fleur repeated. "Ze egg is only audible in water, and I zink I 'ave upset ze in'abitants of ze lake slightly."

"How did you work that out?" Lenalee asked as she stood, leading the way back to the pastel blue carriage.

"A mermaid surfaced, and once I 'ad shut ze egg, she dived again and I 'eard 'er singing," Fleur explains. "I am guessing zat ze second task takes place in ze lake." Lenalee pursed her lips briefly, before smiling again.

"Let's find out what this song is, then," she said brightly.

Entering the carriage once again, Fleur headed straight for the bathing area and ran a deep bath before removing her clothes and entering. The egg, by now thoroughly hated, was thrust under the water and opened. The melody was once again audible, but the screeching had disappeared. With one last look at Lenalee, who was smiling encouragingly, she ducked her head under the water.

_Come seek us where our voices sound,  
We cannot sing above the ground,  
And while you're searching, ponder this:  
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,  
An hour long you'll have to look,  
To recover what we took,  
But past an hour – the prospect's black  
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back._

Surfacing with a splutter she punched the air triumphantly.

"Got it?" Lenalee asked her with a smile. She nodded.

"It is a riddle," she explained. "Come and listen." Lenalee was quick to join her in the bath and they ducked under the surface together to listen to it again.

"That's beautiful," Lenalee commented. "It's hard to think that it's exactly the same as the screeching when it's out of the water." Fleur agreed with her; despite being able to hear the melody anyway, it was far more pleasant in water.

She reached over to her uniform and withdrew a quill and parchment, which she precariously balanced on the side of the bath before diving again to listen to the song. Memorising the first few lines, she resurfaced and wrote them down before repeating her actions. After four dives, she had the entire song both memorised and written down.

"Zis 'as served its purpose," she told Lenalee as they got out and redressed. "Per'aps I should give it to ze girls to do with as zey will?" She gained the other female's approval and wasted no time in placing it in the middle of their common room, with a note attached in French:

_Girls, you will be pleased to know that I have worked out the noise of the egg and no longer need it. Feel free to do as you wish with it._

"Now, zen," she said as she settled on the sofa, Lenalee perched next to her. "What does zis riddle mean?" She tapped at the paper with a finger, quill now dipped in blue ink and poised to write notes. "_Come seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above ze ground._ Zat is obvious – ze task takes place in ze lake and includes ze merfolk zat live zere." She scribbled down the words _Lac Noir_ and _sirène_ next to those two lines before continuing. "_And while you're searching ponder this: we've taken what you'll sorely miss._ Also obvious – something will be taken from me and given to ze merfolk to look after, or even guard. What, I do not know, but it will be something zat is not damaged by water." She didn't write anything down for those two lines. "_An 'our long you'll 'ave to look, to recover what we took._ Zat is ze time limit, I suppose. _But past ze 'our the prospect's black. Too late, it's gone, it won't come back._ Does zis mean zat if we fail we will not get the item back? Or is it referring to ze fact zat we fail ze task, which will make winning ze Tournament very difficult? I find it 'ard to believe zat zey will take something zat precious to us away permanently." She wrote down these two interpretations.

"So how are you going to breathe underwater?" Lenalee asked. "You don't seem concerned about that."

"Ze bubble 'ead charm, of course," Fleur said dismissively. "I learnt it last year and it is perfect for zis task. I am more worried about what I will encounter in ze lake itself. It is called ze _lac noir_ by ze 'Ogwarts students, I believe."

"That's true," Lenalee confirmed. "Aside from merfolk, I don't know what's in there, though."

"Ze question is: will ze merfolk give back ze item without a fuss, or will I 'ave to fight zem for it? 'Ow deep is ze lake, do you wonder?"

"Quite deep, I would think," Lenalee confessed. "Otherwise an hour would not be a difficult time period to achieve."

"Per'aps we should go to ze library and see if we can find any information on ze _lac noir_," Fleur said. Lenalee agreed and they stood to go.

"Fleur! Lenalee!" Gabrielle called, entering the carriage. "'Ow are you doing?"

"We are about to visit ze library," Fleur told her. "Ze egg sings underwater." She gestured over to where it sat and Gabrielle went over to read the note.

"You realise everyone will try and destroy it?" she asked, amused. Fleur shrugged.

"Zey are welcome to," she said. "Now, do you want to 'elp me research ze _lac noir_? Zat is where ze next task is."

"In ze lake?" Gabrielle asked. "Of course I will 'elp. Not zat I'll go in zere."

"I wouldn't ask you to," Fleur reassured her, knowing that her little sister couldn't swim.

Once in the library, their attention was immediately grabbed by _Hogwarts: A History_. Fleur took it from the shelf and settled in a quiet corner to flick through it for any information on the lake that she could find. Gabrielle disappeared briefly, and returned clutching a copy of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them._ Fleur praised her for her thinking before returning to the pages she'd found.

She shuddered at the mention of the Giant Squid, hoping very much that she wouldn't encounter that at any point. The book assured her that it was friendly, but something that big and with that many tentacles did not appeal to her in the slightest. Other than that, the large book only mentioned the existence of the merfolk, who lived on the lake floor. Frustratingly, there was no mention of depth, beyond 'very deep'.

"Ze possible creatures in zis book are Grindylows, Kappas, Kelpies and Murtlaps," Gabrielle informed her. "Although Kappas are Japanese, so zey are less likely."

"Grindylows," Fleur complained. "I 'ate zem."

"How do you escape them?" Lenalee asked.

"Break zeir fingers," Fleur said glumly. "It is ze only way I know of. Ze problem is zat zey 'ave a strong grip and often 'unt in packs."

"You'll be fine," Lenalee reassured her. Fleur wasn't convinced. Unlike with spells, that wasn't something she could practise. She'd just have to hope for the best if she encountered any.

The question of what would be taken plagued her for the next two months. No matter how much she thought, she couldn't work out which of her belongings they would take. Not that she could do anything about it, but it would be nice to know what she was looking for.

Looking around as the date approached, she could recognise which of her fellow champions had worked it out. Krum didn't seem too bothered, so either he'd worked it out or hadn't started, and the same went for Cedric. Harry, on the other hand, did not look relaxed in the slightest. She pitied him – he was too young for the Tournament and there was no way he'd be able to keep up with them. He'd done well against the dragons, but breathing underwater was far too advanced for a fourteen year old.

The question of what would be taken was answered the evening before the task, when Madame Maxime took Gabrielle somewhere and came back without her. All her confidence fled. It was her baby sister! If she failed… That night was sleepless for her and when the morning came around Lenalee met her to see her flustered appearance.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"_We've taken what you'll sorely miss,"_ Fleur quoted miserably. "Zey took Gabrielle." It made sense, and fit all the criteria exactly, but that didn't make her feel any better as she got ready for her dip into the water. Her only consolation was that if she did fail, at least the last two lines made sense to her. Her prospect of winning would be what was black, because there was no way that Madame Maxime would let Gabrielle die. But the idea of failing her poor sister, who was no doubt terrified, was far worse to her than failing the Tournament.

She was the first champion to arrive at the lake as she stared into its murky depths, well aware that her sister was down there somewhere. Confidence flooded her. She would not fail. She could not fail.

The crowds began to flock to join her and before she knew it all of the champions – even Harry who looked terrible – had gathered, waiting for their last minute instructions.

**I am so sorry about the late update. This was really hard for me to write, because I needed to think of a different way for Fleur to work it all out. From now on I more or less know how each chapter's going to pan out, although I'm currently debating if for the final task I should do one chapter per character when they enter the maze or throw it all into one, as I had initially planned. If I can, I'm going to try to get another chapter out tomorrow to make up for this really late one, and then resume normal updates on Wednesday (which would mean you get three in five days).**

**I wasn't being (that) lazy when I made her already know the charm she needed – she's in her last year at Beauxbatons (8****th**** year, because that's how long education there lasts) so it makes sense for her to know more than the boys, and it's more realistic if one of them didn't have to scramble around trying to find a way.**

**French translations (as usual, some might not be accurate because I haven't studied it for nearly five years so I've had to rely on Google Translate more than I'd like):**

_L'académie de Magie de Beauxbâtons _= Beauxbatons Academy of Magic (official French translation)  
_Oui _= Yes  
_Monsieur _= Mr.  
_Lac Noir _= Black Lake  
_Sirène_ = Mermaid

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LEXIRIOUS: **That's good to hear!**

**Thanks for your reviews!**

**I think that's all I need to say for this chapter. Next up is, as I'm sure you've guessed, the Second Task itself.**

**Thanks for reading!  
Tsari**


	21. By The Lake

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 21 – By The Lake

"Now that we're all here," a redhead the exorcists had been informed was named Percy Weasley said, sending a disapproving look at Harry and Kanda. Kanda returned his gaze with a glare. "We shall explain what is going to happen." He gestured to the lake. "_Mademoiselle_ Delacour, Mr Krum, Mr Diggory and Mr Potter shall enter the water in order to retrieve that that they shall sorely miss." None of the champions appeared surprised by this, having all worked that out. "They shall not be accompanied by students from Rōzukurosu Academy."

All four champions entered a stunned silence and turned to look at their respective companions. Kanda scoffed at Harry, wondering if the boy had really thought he'd be going into the water after learning that he couldn't swim, while the other three gave their charges apologetic looks.

"Why?" Cedric asked, being the first to recover.

"Everything inside the lake is a test," Bagman took over. "For this reason, they will not accompany you to avoid any chances of them breaking the rules and assisting you." He didn't look particularly happy about it.

"Miss Lee and Mr Kanda will remain on the shoreline while Mr Bookman and Mr Walker will be on the lake in a boat," Percy spoke again. "If for whatever reason you would like to, or are forced to, withdraw, simply send red sparks to the surface of the water and one of them will dive in to retrieve you, although it may not be your usual companion. The only other time they will intervene is if something occurs outside the scope of the Task."

The exorcists nodded in confirmation when their charges looked at them, Kanda silently informing Harry that no matter what, he would not be jumping in. The boy seemed to get the message.

"If you four would like to get into position?" Bagman said to the exorcists. Allen and Lavi immediately headed over to their boat, which moved without a visible reason. They assumed it was magic, although it still made them slightly uneasy. Kanda and Lenalee didn't move at all, intending to stay with the champions until they entered the water.

"Well, I think it's time," Percy said, glancing at his watch. Bagman nodded and pointed his wand at his throat as the champions seemingly reluctantly made their way to the water's edge.

"_Sonorus._" Ludo Bagman's voice rang out, clearly audible to everyone present, and the spectators on the other side of the lake. "Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three then. One… two… _three._"

The whistle pierced the air shrilly, earning itself a glare from Kanda who did not appreciate loud, high pitch noises, especially after the torture of the egg, and the exorcists watched the four champions enter the water.

Krum was first, throwing off his robe to reveal swimming trunks beneath and plunging headfirst into the water without a second thought, wand clenched in his hand. Peering through the murky water, his silhouette could be seen morphing and changing into something barely recognisable.

Harry was next to go, only pulling off his shoes and socks before wading out into the lake, stuffing a slimy green substance into his mouth. He too disappeared under the surface of the water a few moments later, hands clamped around his throat where gills had appeared to have formed.

Fleur and Cedric disappeared in together, Fleur's charm taking effect moments before Cedric's, and they too disappeared under the water, leaving only ripples to betray their previous locations.

"And now we wait," Dumbledore observed, turning to his fellow judges. "What do you think of their methods? Viktor used a transformation, by the looks of it, while Harry used gillyweed, if I'm not mistaken. Fleur and Cedric both used the bubble-head charm."

Kanda and Lenalee tuned out the idle chatter as they kept an eye on the lake's surface for any sparks, Kanda occasionally glancing across at Lavi and Allen. Lavi and Lenalee were the designated swimmers in case of an emergency, while Allen and Kanda were on the lookout for any akuma that might appear, although of course both had to keep a noticeable amount of attention on the lake in order to not arouse suspicion from the people in the stands, who were no doubt watching them as the task's entertainment, seeing as the majority of the task would take place underwater, where those on the shore could not see.

To Lenalee and Lavi's amusement, the occasional glances between Allen and Kanda – supposed to be used to relate if there were any akuma in the area – were turning into longer stares, bordering on glares. Neither said anything, although Lenalee knew Kanda well enough to know that he was internally calling Allen all sorts of names, and it was highly likely this silent insulting was being mirrored on the boat. She and Lavi exchanged meaningful glances before returning to their vigil and leaving the two to sort themselves out.

"Should those two really be glaring at each other instead of looking out for problems?" Percy could be heard questioning the other judges. The headmasters and mistress expressed similar feelings of concern, while Bagman just laughed and pointed out that at least two of them were doing their jobs.

"You don't have to worry about Allen and Kanda," Reever reassured them. "They might not look it, but they're both alert for trouble. This is just their way of passing the time."

"I find it hard to believe that these four teenagers are as capable as you seem to believe, Dumbledore," Karkaroff continued, clearly talking about their capabilities as exorcists, as opposed to general defence. "The boy looking after Krum has a curse mark!"

"And it is that eye of his that is currently ensuring our safety," Cloud spoke up from behind them. "Allen is unique in his ability to see an akuma even when they're in human form. Even Kanda, arguably our strongest exorcist short of a general, cannot see them, although he can sense ill-will, which lends him to be suspicious towards the correct people."

"I'm still not convinced," Karkaroff said stubbornly.

"The only way to prove it to you is for you to see them in action, which I hope never happens," Cloud informed him. "Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll have to take our word when we say that we have given you the four strongest non-generals in the entire Order."

The exorcists in question were ignoring the conversation as they continued with their duty. A further ten minutes passed in a comfortable silence before Lenalee touched Kanda's arm. Lavi had done the same to Allen and all four looked at the red sparks lingering on the surface of the water. A silent look later, Lenalee activated her Innocence and raced into the water, to audible gasps from the audience.

Who was it? The question nudged at her as she followed the path of sparks, using the Dark Boots to increase her speed. She had no way of breathing underwater, so she had a minute at most before she had to resurface. Her eyes scanned the murky depths to locate a large disturbance a short way from where the trail ended and she headed towards it to see a massive gang of things with too many limbs and long spindly fingers surrounding someone. The long blonde hair betrayed the someone as Fleur and Lenalee wasted no time in hurtling towards the nearest creatures, feet first, and literally smashing them away from the female. A few more powerful kicks and Fleur was free. Fleur's mouth moved as if she was talking but Lenalee, conscious of her lack of air, mouthed 'hold on' before wrapping her arms around her tightly and kicking upwards, transforming her Boots into their second stage as she did so. They descended rapidly, breaking the surface of the water with a splash. Lenalee trod water, not wanting to reveal her Boots more than necessary – she was fairly certain that all the spectators would have seen was the blur of green due to the speed she'd been going – as she turned to Fleur, similarly treading water beside her as she removed the bubble head charm.

"Gabrielle," she sobbed. "I failed 'er. Zose stupid Grindylows!" She smashed her fist against the water, causing it to splash up around them. "I don't care about ze Tournament. _Ma sœur_!" Lenalee wanted to just hug her, but first they had to get out of the water. Now that she could look at her properly, she could see that the French girl was covered in cuts and bruises from the attack. No wonder that she had had to pull out.

"Can you swim to shore?" she asked gently. Fleur nodded and Lenalee led the way, swimming slowly and deactivating her Boots. She didn't need them for that.

Madam Pomfrey and Cloud were at the water's edge, waiting for them. Once they were in reach, Cloud held out her hand to help Fleur up, who accepted it gratefully, tears still in her eyes.

"Gabrielle," she kept sobbing as she was bundled in blankets and a Pepper-Up potion was forced inside of her.

"She'll be fine," Madam Pomfrey said briskly but not unkindly. "The merfolk will return any un-rescued hostages once the Task is over. She'll be back up here soon enough." Fleur smiled at her weakly and thanked her for the reassurance before looking back out at the water.

Lenalee accepted the potion and blankets before going to sit back at Kanda's side.

"She was overwhelmed by underwater creatures," she answered his unasked question. He nodded briefly and returned to his glaring match with Allen now that the crisis was over.

* * *

On the boat, Lavi sighed.

"One down," he muttered quietly, his green eye surveying the battered girl.

"I hope she's alright," Allen murmured in agreement. "She looks hurt."

"She'll be fine," Lavi said. "Look at her – she's already looking out for her fellows even though they've still got half an hour to go. If they make it within the time limit, which I'm seriously doubting."

Allen looked back and once again caught Kanda's eye. The samurai reinitiated their staring match and he relaxed, receiving the underlying message that Fleur was in no danger. Lavi just smiled at his friends' antics and surveyed the water for any more sparks. He hoped not, and not just because it was his turn next and that water looked cold.

"This isn't the most exciting thing we've ever done, is it?" Allen commented ten minutes later, breaking his gaze to look at Lavi. "There's no akuma around – which is most definitely a good thing – and we're stuck in this boat looking for a signal that someone's in trouble."

"It's not," Lavi agreed whole-heartedly, taking the chance to look away from the water and back at those on the shore. Madam Pomfrey was giving Fleur more potions – the girl had clearly refused to go anywhere until her hostage was safe – and Lenalee was beginning to shiver slightly under her layers of blankets. Whether subconsciously or not, she was now sitting very close to Kanda, who for once did not seem to be protesting about the lack of personal space. He probably understood that Lenalee needed the subtle heat his body gave off – warm despite his icy demeanour. Why Lenalee didn't just go back inside and get changed, he didn't understand. It wasn't like Cloud wasn't there as back-up.

Allen and Kanda had returned to their glaring and Lavi caught Lenalee's eye briefly, checking she was okay to continue (and receiving a look that dared him to suggest that she should go inside), before returning his gaze to the murky depths. Exactly fifty minutes and twenty three seconds had passed since the whistle had blown for the start of the Task, meaning that in ten minutes all three males and their hostages should resurface.

* * *

Lenalee shivered again before accepting another warm potion from Madam Pomfrey, who was insistent on checking her over now that she'd dealt with most of Fleur's injuries, leaving the French girl in the care of Madame Maxime, who was somewhat managing to calm her.

"You should go back," Kanda told her. "Dry off properly."

"Later," she replied. "I'm not leaving until everyone's back, including Gabrielle." He sighed, clearly exasperated although he'd obviously expected her response. He knew her better than the others, after all, having been childhood friends and growing up together through the horrors of their war.

"Lenalee," Cloud said. "Make sure you dry off as soon as you can." She nodded and watched the water for any more sparks. Lavi was next to dive, but there was definitely no harm in keeping an eye out. She looked at the clock and saw that there was one minute left until the task was over. The fact that no-one had surfaced triumphantly was slightly worrying, and she saw Kanda glance at the clock too, his face twisting into a frown.

The clock ticked to one minute past the hour and two heads emerged, easily identifiable as Cedric and Cho who both swam strongly towards the shore. Lenalee offered Cho a hand and a warm smile, both of which were accepted, and pulled her up as Kanda begrudgingly did the same to Cedric, who looked worn out. Both were subjected to the same treatment that Lenalee and Fleur had, bundled up tightly in layer after layer of blankets and given warm potions.

It was only a few minutes after that that Krum and Hermione surfaced, also swimming towards the shore with minimal difficulties. Krum didn't even require assistance getting out of the water, to Kanda's obvious satisfaction, while Lenalee helped Hermione up. As those two were being warmed up a quiet request from Krum could be heard.

"Vould you like to visit me in the summer?" he asked hopefully. Hermione smiled at him but before she could answer a scream from Fleur caught everyone's attention.

"Gabrielle! _Gabrielle! Is she alive? Is she 'urt?"_

Lenalee turned her head to see that Harry had surfaced, alongside both Ron and Gabrielle. Seeing that Fleur was fighting furiously to get to her sister she shrugged off her blankets and re-entered the water, reaching the three floundering students at the same time as Lavi, who had dived in as well.

"It's my turn," he said, confused.

"You take the boys," Lenalee told him, noticing that Harry looked exhausted. "I'll take Gabrielle." He nodded and she relieved the two Hogwarts students of Gabrielle, cheating slightly and using her Dark Boots to travel to the shoreline where Fleur was waiting anxiously.

"She's fine," she reassured the older girl before handing Gabrielle over, who was instantly wrapped in a tight embrace by her sister, who was garbling apologies in a mix of French and English at a rapid rate. Reluctantly, she let Madam Pomfrey look after Gabrielle while she went to thank the boys, who both looked stunned, leaving them with slight blushes adorning their cheeks – although that might just have been the Pepper-Up potion working.

Lenalee, having wrapped herself up in her blankets again, accepted the kisses on her cheeks in thanks, along with the hug, as the boat on the water brought Allen back, who immediately went over to see how Krum was. Lavi had also bundled himself up with blankets given to him by Cloud, seeing as Madam Pomfrey was busy with the other teens, and gone to talk to Cedric.

Kanda had completely ignored Harry and his friends, instead watching closely as Dumbledore conversed with a mermaid he recognised as the chieftain. Their conversation didn't last long and soon the mermaid had sank below the surface again and Dumbledore was getting the attention of the judges, who had gathered themselves in a circle, apparently to discuss the marks.

The boom of Ludo Bagman's voice minutes later, interrupting Gabrielle's recount of how she'd been put to sleep after having the situation explained to her and waking up when she surfaced a few minutes ago, silenced everyone and grabbed their attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Mer-chieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of sixty for each of the champions, as follows…

"Miss Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by Grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her thirty points."

"I deserved zero," Fleur shook her head, ignoring her sister's protests as the audience applauded.

"Mr Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of one hour. We therefore award him fifty eight points." The cheers from the yellow and black-clad Hogwarts students was deafening.

"Mr Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of transfiguration, which was nonetheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty eight points." Karkaroff looked very pleased with himself.

"Mr Harry Potter used Gillyweed to great effect. He returned last, well outside of the time limit of one hour. However, the Mer-chieftainess informs us that Mr Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own. Most of the judges feel that this shows moral fibre and merits full marks. However… Mr Potter's score is fifty four points."

Most of the crowd appeared taken aback for a moment before applauding. Most of the champions and exorcists joined in – the exceptions being Kanda and Krum, who was trying to talk to Hermione, presumably for an answer to his earlier invitation.

"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June," Bagman continued, talking over the applause, which died down. "The champions will be notified of what is coming, precisely one month beforehand. Thank you for all your support of the champions."

The moment he finished speaking, the applause beginning anew, Madam Pomfrey and Cloud pushed the exorcists, champions and hostages back to the castle. Most of them still seemed to be in a daze after the task, unsurprisingly and Kanda leaned over to murmur to Cloud.

"Why are we here if there are no problems?" he asked quietly, irritated that the mission was seemingly going to be a waste of time.

"Because there might be," she replied, equally quietly. Lau Jimin had helped keep their conversation private by chattering loudly and, judging by the lack of reaction from anyone nearby, he had succeeded.

**So, who did I fail to surprise with keeping the exorcists out of the water? I'm sure there must be some of you that worked it out, especially after a few hints, like Kanda pointing out that he wouldn't learn to swim and me not describing a change in what they were wearing (so that was ridiculously subtle and I'm sorry but I really wanted to keep you guys guessing). I explained why at the start of the chapter, but to reiterate: Everything in the lake is an obstacle, meaning that the Exorcists' presence would make things easier because, let's face it, they're not going to sit and let the Grindylows and whatever attack them, which means less opponents for the champions themselves. Also, you already know what happens underwater, so I tried to emphasis the boringness of the waiting for the spectators…**

**Now then, like for the first task, I am going to explain the scoring. Again, due to an extra judge (Reever), the marks are now out of sixty, as opposed to 50, which means that I needed to adapt the marks accordingly. Fleur's was easy – she gets half marks in the book, which also translates to five per judge, so I followed that pattern, giving her 30. Krum's was also easy, if I followed this pattern. In the books, he receives 40, or eight per judge. Because Reever is keeping with the average of the fair scorers, he also gives eight, making Krum's total 48. Harry follows the same logic – 45 means that he got nine per judge, so I added nine to his score, giving him 54. Now, Cedric and Harry are tying for first place at this point, so to even up the marks I had to give him four more than Harry because he received four less against the dragons, giving him 58.**

**In summary, their placing and scores are as follows:  
=1 Harry (49, 54) 103 points  
=1 Cedric (45, 58) 103 points  
2 Krum (49, 48) 97 points  
3 Fleur (47, 30) 77 points**

**I hope this answers any questions!**

**Replies to Guest reviews:**

Joliesme**: I'm glad you could follow her thoughts. It's actually quite hard getting the balance between the two different stories, so it's good you think I'm managing it!**

**Thanks for your reviews!**

**Think this is all – next update should be Wednesday, as planned.**

**Thanks for reading!  
Tsari**


	22. Hogsmeade

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 22 – Hogsmeade

The next weekend came around quickly, giving an opportunity for the champions and hostages to escape all the attention by slipping into Hogsmeade on the next scheduled visit, their guards accompanying them, as always.

Harry was nervous. The message he had received from Sirius the morning after the second task had implied that they were going to see him, and despite Kanda's admonishment that he knew Sirius was innocent – repeated after he took a customary glance over all the mail Harry received and realised about the intending meeting – he was worried that the Japanese would not get on with his godfather.

After messing around sock-shopping for Dobby – something Kanda seemed to dislike immensely, especially when the kind witch demonstrated the reaction one of the pairs of socks had to being too smelly (the scream had made them all jump, including the stoic Rōzukurosu student) – they began to make their way towards the designated meeting point. Kanda got noticeably more wary as they left the bustling streets behind and glowered menacingly at the familiar shaggy dog that bounded up to greet them enthusiastically.

"Snuffles!" Hermione greeted immediately, almost before he'd reached them. Harry mentally applauded her for her quick thinking – she'd informed Kanda that this was who they were greeting before he got close enough for Kanda to retaliate if he perceived him as a threat. He was very glad that Kanda already knew Sirius was a dog animagus.

For his part, Sirius completely ignored Kanda, instead sniffing insistently at the bag of food Harry had brought with him after giving a very warm welcome. Once satisfied, the dog turned and led them over a stile and up a rocky path. It was steep, and more often than not one or other of them slipped slightly, excluding Kanda who seemed perfectly poised the whole time. By the time they reached the top of the path, he was the only one not panting for breath.

Sirius had led them to a cave, which he entered with no hesitation. Kanda pushed past Harry and silently insisted on being the first to follow. Harry didn't argue and it wasn't long before all of them had entered the cave. The first thing that caught their eye was a familiar Hippogriff, who was eying Kanda suspiciously. The Japanese was meeting the orange gaze evenly, his hand straying towards Mugen's hilt.

"Um, Kanda," Harry said. "Buckbeak's a Hippogriff. You're supposed to bow and then he should bow back. After that he won't pose any sort of threat."

"And if this doesn't bow back?" Kanda asked.

"Then he'll probably attack you," Harry said in a small voice. Realising that he'd have to demonstrate, he bowed low, noticing Hermione and Ron doing the same thing, and Buckbeak immediately reciprocated the gesture before turning his steely gaze back to Kanda, who let out a sigh before entering a perfect bow, maintaining eye contact the whole time. Buckbeak was quick to bow, to Harry's astonishment. He'd expected Buckbeak to spend longer considering this obviously dangerous person. Hermione rushed forwards to pet the now amenable creature, while Harry turned to Sirius, who had transformed back to his normal self. He looked better than the last time Harry had seen him, but considering the hollow look he'd had then, that wasn't hard. He was still in his tattered grey robes from Azkaban and his hair was still matted.

"Now that you're acquainted with Buckbeak, I should introduce myself," the man said hoarsely to Kanda. "I'm Sirius Black, Harry's godfather. Thank you for taking care of him."

"Kanda Yu," Kanda returned. Harry noticed he said his name the wrong way round. "There's no need to thank me. I'm just doing my job."

"His name's actually Yu Kanda," Ron cut in. "But he hates being called Yu." To Harry's confusion, Sirius didn't look surprised.

"I'm amazed no-one's explained that to you," he said. "I would have thought Hermione would have told you that in Japan it's highly rude to call someone by their given name without that person's permission." Hermione looked embarrassed.

"I didn't know," she admitted.

"How did you know?" Ron asked, curious.

"I'm from an Ancient and Noble wizarding family," Sirius scowled. "My parents made sure I knew all the customs of other countries before I was ten. They wouldn't want their heir to make a _faux pas_ now, would they?" His voice was bitter and Harry decided that it was best to steer the conversation away from his family. He achieved this by passing his bag, filled with food, to his starved-looking godfather.

* * *

For lunch Fleur, Gabrielle, Lenalee and Cho, accompanied by Cedric and Lavi, had found Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, and fell in love with it instantly. Although the place was clearly designed for couples, the witch that ran it was more than happy to rearrange some of the tables in the corner so that six could sit there.

"What a delightful little place," Fleur commented as they ordered their coffees and various small foods. The girls agreed, although Cedric looked slightly less comfortable in the pink and frilly place, but for Cho's sake he pretended that he liked it, too. Lavi was eying everything curiously.

"It's very pink," he commented, needlessly.

"And very nice," Lenalee admonished. "I wish our school had places like this. But because it's run by mainly boys, there's nothing of the sort. It's all gloomy and black."

"Now, now," Lavi said placatingly. "Jerry does his best with the cafeteria. I'm pretty sure the man's gay, after all."

Their companions found the conversation very interesting and listened in, hoping to find out some more about the elusive Rōzukurosu Academy, but unfortunately their orders arrived just then, halting the conversation.

"Zis is delicious!" Gabrielle exclaimed after one sip of her coffee. The others agreed whole-heartedly, the boys deciding that maybe the food and drink made up for the horrible décor. Maybe.

"I wonder what it's like on Valentine's Day?" Cho wondered out loud.

"If the Hogsmeade Weekend falls on it next year, we can have a look," Cedric promised her, and she beamed.

"You are so sweet to 'er," Fleur commented. "It is adorable." Cedric blushed and the girls all laughed at him.

"How have you been finding the tasks so far?" he asked, rubbing at his cheeks furiously. Fleur turned more serious.

"Zey 'ave been difficult," she said truthfully. "Ze dragon was a dangerous opponent, and zose Grindylows are 'orrible."

"I agree on the Grindylows," he nodded. "Luckily, we had a very good Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher last year and he made sure we could all deal with them. Otherwise, I'm pretty confident that Harry and I would have been stopped by them, too."

"'Ow did you get zem away so quickly?" Fleur asked Lenalee suddenly, who laughed awkwardly.

"Lena's an unarmed specialist," Lavi jumped in. "She's got quite the powerful kick."

"I am sure I saw a green light," Fleur persisted. "And you never take zose boots off, Lenalee."

"They strengthen my kicks a bit," Lenalee admitted. Fleur was sure she was evading the real question on purpose, but let it slide.

"'Ow did you find ze dragon?" she asked Cedric instead.

"Not easy," he confessed. "I got burnt pretty badly. I'm not surprised that I lost the first task." Fleur winced sympathetically.

"But now you are winning, along with 'Arry, while I am losing. What do you think ze last task will be?" Cedric thought for a moment, before shrugging.

"I honestly have no idea. It could be anything. All I know is that it's going to be difficult, and dangerous."

Fleur agreed.

"I zink it might 'ave something to do with ze earth," she confided. There was no harm in sharing suspicions, as neither of them knew anything for certain and they'd all be told about the task in advance anyway. "Ze second task was water, and ze first was both fire and air. If zey are based on ze elements zen ze final task should be earth."

Cedric pondered her words carefully before coming to the realisation that she was right. He admitted so and she smiled in satisfaction. It was so nice to hear that her age and additional experience did give her some advantage.

* * *

Krum slouched around with Poliakoff and Allen his only companions. To most people, it would seem as if he was not enjoying himself, but that was far from the truth. The quaint little village had a calming atmosphere, despite the bustling nature, and he'd soon slipped into The Three Broomsticks where, after signing an autograph for the rather busty barmaid, he'd ordered himself and Poliakoff a firewhisky each. Allen had firmly stated that he was underage, and didn't drink anyway, therefore settling for a nice warm butterbeer instead, for which he had insisted on paying for.

"I haff the money," Krum had tried to insist. "Let me pay."

"Rōzukurosu Academy refunds me for anything I spend here," Allen had replied. "It's cheaper for both of us this way, and trust me when I say my school's rolling in cash." Krum had had no answer to that.

They were sat in a corner, Krum wanting to avoid the limelight as much as possible because even now people were still trying to ask him for autographs, as they sipped at their drinks. It was warm where they were, even though they were nowhere near the roaring fire. Despite it being the end of February, the weather had yet to start to warm up, although it was still far nicer than if they had been at Durmstrang.

"Is it cold vhere your school is?" Poliakoff asked Allen suddenly. He shrugged.

"Not really," he said. "It's slightly warmer than here, but not much. The weather's often worse, too. We get thunderstorms a lot."

"Vhat is wrong vith thunderstorms?" Krum asked. "They are a problem for Qvidditch, but your school does not play that."

"Not much, really," Allen said. "It just gets a bit depressing after a while. My school's quite a gloomy place."

"So is Durmstrang," Poliakoff said between gulps of firewhisky. "Ve're so far north that in the vinter term ve cannot spend much time outside because it gets dark so early."

More people entered the establishment and Krum decided that it was getting too crowded for his liking, so he murmured to his companions that he would like to leave, before draining the last of his firewhisky. They agreed without a fuss, finishing their own drinks and slipping out of the building before any more fans tried to get an autograph.

Once out into the bustling streets, Krum led the way away from the crowds and found that he'd wandered over to an interesting building labelled the Shrieking Shack. As he read the information on it, he heard a slight whirring noise. Turning around, he was met by a startling and very unexpected sight.

Allen's left eye had morphed into something… different. It was still recognisable as an eye, but it was now covered in what appeared to be a monocle in the shape of a cog, with a single, smaller cog-shape, circling around it. The eye itself now had red and black concentric rings, instead of the usual silver-grey colour that Krum was used to.

"Allen… your eye…" Poliakoff said warily, backing off a bit. Allen didn't seem to have heard him and was instead looking around and muttering words Krum couldn't decipher under his breath. He caught a few: "nine" and "two", although they meant nothing to him.

"Vhat is wrong vith your eye?" he demanded, gaining Allen's attention.

"Nothing!" the boy said hurriedly. "Well, a lot. But…" he trailed off, and his face seemed to relax slightly. Following his gaze, Krum spotted Harry and his friends approaching, seemingly having been out of the village completely. Allen waved frantically, and they hurried over to them. Krum noticed that Kanda had drawn his sword.

"Where?" the Japanese asked urgently. The change from his normal, irritated attitude shocked the confused Hogwarts and Durmstrang students into silence.

"Over there," Allen said, pointing towards the edge of the village furthest from the castle. "There's nine – all level two." Kanda nodded once.

"Get them back to the castle," he said, before dashing off.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, sounding nervous. "What's wrong with your eye, Allen?"

"We have a problem," Allen said, not answering her. "Tim, go and alert Lavi and Lenalee." The small golem sped off.

"Allen?" Krum asked.

"Let's get back to the castle," Allen said. "It's too dangerous to stay out here now." He tried to usher them towards Hogwarts, but Harry stood his ground.

"What's dangerous? Hogsmeade is perfectly safe. You said there were nine? Nine what? And what did you mean by they're all level two?"

"Right now Hogsmeade is not safe," Allen said. It was clear that his patience, for the first time since they'd met him, was wearing thin. "There are nine enemies, and they are all what we classify as danger level two. Anything above one is bad news for us right now, so we have to get back to the castle."

That convinced Harry and they hurried back to the village itself, where they encountered the other champions emerging from a garishly pink tea room.

"We got the message," Lavi said. "Do you think I should go and back up Yu?"

"I'll go," Lenalee decided. "I'm faster. Where are they, Allen?" Allen gestured in the same direction he had sent Kanda in and her boots lit up, glowing with a green energy, and she jumped into the air, impossibly high. They didn't see her land.

"Her boots did that in the second task," Poliakoff commented. "Are they magic?"

"Yup," Lavi confirmed cheerfully. "Now then, let's get you lot back to the castle." He turned to Allen. "Tim's gone to get Professor Nine. She'll see to the evacuation of the village."

"Evacuation?" Hermione demanded.

"I did say that anything above level one is bad news," Allen reminded her. "Now get moving unless you want to die."

His serious attitude and shocking words forced them into obeying and they started to run, Allen and Lavi snagging any other students they passed as they went.

Explosions could now be heard in the distance and the champions paused and looked around. Clouds of dust were erupting occasionally, and green streaks could been seen darting across the sky in a seemingly random pattern.

"What the bloody hell is that?" Ron demanded.

"That?" Lavi asked. The fact that the Rōzukurosu students weren't pushing them to keep moving any more suggested that they were, for the moment, out of range of whatever it was causing such a ruckus.

"The… the green things!" Ron exclaimed. "And those clouds of dust!"

"Oh, you mean Lena," Lavi laughed. "That's her boots you can see. As for the clouds of dust, that means Yu and Lena are winning."

An explosion rocked the ground and they saw a few blue… things… that didn't look corporeal fly up into the air before dissipating.

"Are those the level twos?" Cho asked. Lavi laughed.

"Hell's Insects? Nah. That's one of Yu's attacks. He summons them with Mugen." The idea that that sword could summon things from Hell was very unsettling, to say the least.

"They're nearly done now," Allen said. "Let's keep moving. There's only one left." His tone left no room for debate and they obeyed.

"Can you see ze 'enemies'?" Fleur asked him as they walked, now at a more leisurely pace.

"I can," he said, gesturing at his currently grotesque eye. "It's not a pretty sight."

There was one more resounding explosion and then silence. It was only once the sounds stopped that they realised that they'd been able to hear clanging of metal and other sounds associated with muggle conflict the whole time.

Lenalee was the first to re-join them, her boots still kicking up green energy in the form of flames from the back of her ankle. Resting her hands on her knees, and her hair looking rather more mussed than it had when she'd left, she turned to Allen.

"Did we get them all?" she asked.

"Yes," Allen reassured her. "Go get BaKanda." She disappeared again, moving so fast she was barely visible, and Hermione noticed something.

"Your eye's back to normal, Allen," she commented. "Is that because the danger's gone?"

"Yes," he smiled at her. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

Lenalee appeared again, her boots no longer glowing. She was panting slightly, but seemed none the worse for wear, despite fighting what Allen had called 'dangerous' opponents.

Kanda's appearance a minute later was far more horrifying. His uniform was absolutely covered in what looked like blood. It had also splattered onto his face, which he smeared away with an equally dirty sleeve. Mugen, by comparison, was spotless.

Gabrielle screamed and the other girls gasped in horror. Even the boys looked repulsed and slightly worried.

"It's not mine," Kanda told them bluntly.

"Don't worry," Lavi added. "It'd take more than a handle of level twos to land a scratch on Yu-chan!" They noticed the honorific was back. "Especially with Lena helping him."

"Don't. Call. Me. That," Kanda ground, Mugen pointing at Lavi's neck. Covered in blood as he was, he made quite the intimidating figure. Lavi, as usual, wasn't fazed.

"Yes, yes," he laughed before turning back to the very confused champions and their companions. "Seeing as this visit's been ruined beyond repair, why don't we just head on back to the castle?" he suggested. Again, there wasn't a choice. Whatever had attacked, the Rōzukurosu students, now seeming more mysterious than ever, did not want them to go near the bodies.

"Kanda, go clean up," a stern voice ordered from behind them and they turned to see Professor Nine glaring at her student. "You'll send the other students and staff into a panic if they see you like that. I'll cover for you while you do so." He nodded in deferment and disappeared. "Are you all alright?" she asked all the students she was now escorting. They all nodded and she turned to her own students. "Any casualties?"

"No, Professor," Lenalee reported. "The part of the village they approached was mostly empty, and I cleared the stragglers out while Kanda engaged the enemy. A few buildings were destroyed, but no lives were lost."

"That's good," Professor Nine said. She seemed very relieved. Whether she was just that pleased that no-one died, or if deaths would have meant extra complications for whatever reason (Rōzukurosu Academy could have lost what credibility the almost-mythical school had, so they supposed that made sense), it didn't fit with their image of the stern teacher that they had built.

All the students from all the schools piled into the Great Hall, seeking an explanation, which did not seem to be forthcoming any time soon as none of the head teachers seemed to be there. Inevitably, the gossip and exchange of stories began.

"I saw these blue monsters appear from nothing and reappear!"

"No way!"

"Yes! And there were streaks of green in the sky, too!"

"They looked like that female Rōzukurosu student's boots did in the second task remember? What if she attacked us?"

"I saw horrible monsters that burst into nothing when they were hit!"

"That Japanese student was covered in blood – do you think he killed someone?"

The stories grew more and more ridiculous and the champions tried to shut it out, all wondering how such a great day had turned so bad. After nearly half an hour the head teachers entered and Dumbledore exploded some purple crackers from the tip of his wand for silence.

"I understand that there was an attack on Hogsmeade village today," he said, holding a hand up when people began clamouring again. "I will not go into details, but suffice to say the monsters that were responsible have all been destroyed, thanks to the quick thinking of our guests from Rōzukurosu Academy. Without them, there is no doubt that many lives would have been lost. For that, we are in their debt."

Someone started clapping, breaking the stunned silence, and slowly other people joined in. Soon most of the hall was clapping, if not because they believed the explanation, then because their neighbours and friends were and they didn't want to be left out.

During the ruckus, Kanda slipped in and reappeared at Harry's shoulder, dressed in what was obviously a fresh uniform. His hair was wet, suggesting that he'd washed it quickly to get at least the worst of the blood out.

"Do we get a better explanation?" Ron demanded.

"Professor Dumbledore's explanation was accurate, and will suffice," Professor Nine said sharply. "Do not expect your guards to elaborate." She turned to her students. "After curfew, I want to talk to the four of you."

"Yes, Professor," Allen, Lenalee and Lavi chorused. Kanda just grunted in acknowledgement.

**There! Akuma! Are you guys happy now? Sorry if you expecting an epic fight with the champions caught up in the middle and whatnot, but we're only just over halfway through the school year. I can assure you we haven't seen the last of them, so don't worry about that.**

**As for what the champions got up to before their weekend turned sour, I know I'm trying to not reiterate everything that happens in the book, but I love Sirius too much to leave him out, and I had to have Kanda meet him and Buckbeak! As for Madam Puddifoot's, it's canon that Cedric used to take Cho there before he died, and I thought it was the sort of thing Fleur would love. Also, Cho is good friends with Fleur by this point, hence the reason Fleur and Cedric were staying together. Krum just wanted isolation, hence the Shrieking Shack.**

**Anyway, that's all for this chapter, and I hope to see you all again next Wednesday for the next one (if I can keep to schedule for once). For readers that only joined recently, sorry if you've got the wrong impression with my rapid updates over the past couple of days. This story is supposed to be updated once a week on a Wednesday (or a Thursday if I'm late or you're more than a few hours ahead of me). I've just been making up for missing deadlines, which I will try not to do again.**

**Thanks for reading!  
Tsari**


	23. Suspicions Arise

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 23 – Suspicions Arise

The rest of the weekend was alight with gossip, which the Exorcists tried to avoid as much as possible. It was harder to avoid the questions of their constant companions, but they managed it. By Monday the gossip had died down, only to return full force with the morning's headline in the Daily Prophet.

_MYSTERIOUS MONSTERS ATTACK VILLAGE_

It was, of course, written by the one reporter they had hoped never to see again, especially after the _Witch Weekly_ article the week before about the love triangle supposedly forming between Harry, Krum and Hermione. That is, one Rita Skeeter.

_Last Saturday, reports came in of a vicious attack at Hogsmeade village while the students from Hogwarts and their visitors, Beauxbatons, Durmstrang and Rōzukurosu Academy, were on a scheduled visit. There were no casualties, but the identity of the creatures is still unknown, despite the best efforts of the Ministry of Magic to identify them from the statements of the few witnesses_

"_They were completely hideous," one villager, who wishes to remain unnamed, told your reporter. "Inhuman. I've never heard of anything like them before." Other wizards and witches interviewed gave similar responses and hope that the Ministry of Magic soon have an answer to give. In the meantime, those whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed are now having to rebuild their lives._

_Equally mysterious is the reactions of the students from Rōzukurosu Academy, two of whom immediately confronted the unknown enemy in combat using abilities previously unheard of, seemingly knowledgeable about the creatures they defeated. Miss Lenalee Lee and Mr Kanda were seen engaging the creatures in combat, after ensuring the immediate area was evacuated, while Mr Lavi Bookman and Mr Allen Walker concentrated on escorting the students back to Hogwarts castle. Professor Cloud Nine and the headmaster, Professor Reever Wenhamm, assisted in the evacuation of the residents._

_There is little doubt that Rōzukurosu Academy knows something that we don't. High Master Igor Karkaroff was heard at the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, in which Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory currently tie for first place, questioning their capabilities, so is it an exaggeration to consider the idea that this was all staged to prove themselves? If so, perhaps Professor Albus Dumbledore should reconsider his invitation to this most mysterious school to avoid any casualties in future._

As was to be expected, after the article circulated around the school that morning, the whispers started up again as many people agreed that maybe it had all been staged. The exorcists had been quick to reassure their charges that it was not the case, and that they would never do something so reckless, with varying degrees of patience, ranging from Allen's long winded conversation with Krum to Kanda's grunt of "don't be ridiculous" to Harry when the topic was brought up at breakfast.

The exorcists then began receiving mail themselves at the breakfast table, which they treated in differing ways. Kanda didn't even open any of it, leaving it where it was for the house elves to clear up later. Experience with Hermione's hate mail following the 'love triangle' article had taught him that mail was most certainly not to be trusted, especially after being named in a newspaper article. There were a few that he couldn't avoid, however, but the moment the red envelope began to smoke he deftly sliced it in two with Mugen. To his pleasant surprise, the Innocence cancelled out the magic and it fizzled away into nothing, to the great respect of his companions.

"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed. "I never knew you could stop a Howler like that!" Kanda didn't bother to reply.

Allen had pointedly opened his with his left hand, very pleased that nothing nasty enough to dissolve his gloves emerged, although from the respect of the companions around him it seemed as if a lot of it should have been able to. He decided then and there that he was going to somehow reward the science department, especially Johnny, for whatever they'd done to them before he left.

Lavi and Lenalee had been very careful opening theirs as they had no real way to defend themselves without activating their Innocence.

"You'd think they wouldn't send dangerous substances to the people charged with protecting everyone," Lavi commented idly to Cedric, who agreed, after a narrow miss of something distinctly acidic.

Fleur was more than happy to assist Lenalee in the disposing of the hate mail she had received, with the help of a few vanishing spells. Soon all the House tables were clear of rubbish, to the clear distaste of the students with whom 'Rōzukurosu Academy' had lost all trust. Cloud and Reever had not escaped either, but Lau Jimin had eaten everything, to the amazement of the staff and the watching students.

"Surely that's dangerous," Professor McGonagall said. "Should you let him do that?"

"Lau Jimin has a very good immune system," Cloud explained. "I very highly doubt that anything in those envelopes will damage him." She was, of course, referring to the fact that he was her Innocence, but with eavesdropping students and staff alike, she could only hint and assume that the Deputy Headmistress understood. A tight-lipped smile of acknowledgement informed her that the older woman had understood perfectly, especially after witnessing Kanda's disposal method concerning the Howler. When no-one was looking, Reever sent a thankful glance at Cloud and her Innocence, which was received with a miniscule nod.

In some ways, the suspicion made the jobs of the exorcists a lot easier, as they were now being badgered by far fewer people to show off. On the other hand, ones like a young Gryffindor introduced as Colin Creevey now refused to leave Kanda alone, despite frequent threats with Mugen. The sword itself, of course, remained sheathed as Colin was not actually a threat and he could, to his displeasure, only draw it around akuma, or anyone that threatened Harry. Harry had firmly told him that Colin would never hurt him, rendering any excuse he may have been able to make useless. Lenalee faced a very similar problem with the Ravenclaws, whose thirst for knowledge was surfacing quite eagerly. She had eventually consented and activated her Dark Boots, knowing that the entire population of the castle had seen them at least once, although she kept the full extent of her abilities hidden, demonstrating only her speed and jumps for them. Lavi had been eager to help the Ravenclaws understand the little that they were willing to reveal, when Cedric was with Cho and watching the display.

"As people at Rōzukurosu like to say, Lena can float through the air like a butterfly, and crash down to earth with the destructive power of steel," he said. "Pretty impressive, huh?" The Ravenclaws certainly seemed to think so, and more than one were openly dejected when she wouldn't let them have a closer look.

"I'm rather protective of them," she excused herself. "They're one of a kind." It wasn't a lie – there was only one pair of Dark Boots in existence, and while she severely doubted that any of the inquisitive students were capable of damaging them, she wasn't taking any chances.

* * *

The rest of the term passed quickly, although the exorcists never let down their guard. The attack on Hogsmeade was enough to reassure them that they were needed and that, more importantly, akuma were becoming active in the area. The distrust from the majority of the student body was a slight nuisance, but they were content with it as long as no-one died.

"After dinner, you need to escort your charges to the Quidditch pitch," Cloud told the four of them, exactly a month before the third task was to take place. "Mr Bagman will be there to inform you of the final task."

The champions had happily followed them to the Quidditch pitch, where a surprise awaited them.

"What have they done to it?" Cedric asked incredulously. Krum and Harry seemed equally appalled at the sight of the hedges sprouting from the ground between the hoops.

"Ah, I see you've noticed," Mr Bagman said with far too much cheer. "Now then, does anyone have any idea what this is?"

"A maze," Fleur said after a moment's silence, seemingly the only champion capable of speech while the boys gaped.

"Correct! The third task is simply to get through the maze," Bagman said jovially. "Of course, there will be obstacles – Hagrid is providing a few creatures, and there will be spells and enchantments in place as well."

"Is this like the lake?" Cedric asked, seemingly over his shock. "Will Lavi and the others be waiting for us outside?"

"That was the plan," Bagman said, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "However, due to the attack on Hogsmeade shortly after the second task, that has been revised. They will enter the maze with you, but will not act unless something outside the obstacles threatens you."

"What about ze spectators?" Fleur demanded. "Who will be protecting zem?" She was no doubt worried about Gabrielle.

"Rōzukurosu Academy is currently assessing the threat levels," Cloud said from behind them. The champions spun around to face her. "It is likely that more students will be brought in just for the day of the task."

"Of course, in order to avoid a panic any that arrive are simply visiting to see the third task," Bagman said, still seemingly uncomfortable. "The truth will be known to only us here and the staff, and it should stay that way."

All four champions nodded their heads.

"Any questions?" Cloud asked. They shook their heads and she dismissed them. Fleur and Lenalee immediately headed to the nearby carriage, while Cedric and Lavi slipped back into the castle.

"Could I haff a vord?" Krum asked Harry, who looked surprised but allowed himself to be led into the Forbidden Forest. Kanda and Allen followed, trading scowls and dark looks.

In the forest itself, they immediately became alert.

"This is far enough, Viktor," Allen said. He didn't want to venture any deeper with the champions in tow, and nor did Kanda. The pair of them kept guard while the two seekers had their conversation, which sounded like it was about Hermione, before Kanda drew Mugen suddenly.

"Something's coming," he said. "Go back to the castle."

"Allen's eye is normal," Harry pointed out.

"It only detects some threats," Allen said, shooing them. "Unfortunately, not all of them." He turned to Kanda. "Catch us up once you've dealt with it, BaKanda!"

"I know," Kanda growled. "Now go."

He watched them go out of the corner of his eye, keeping his attention on the rustling that was getting closer. There was no malicious aura, so he didn't think it was a Noah, but what it was, he didn't know. Not a Noah and not an akuma…

A man burst through the trees, bedraggled and only half conscious. Kanda immediately recognised him as Barty Crouch.

"Hogwarts?" the man rasped, attempting to seize Kanda's uniform. Kanda evaded him neatly, but didn't put Mugen away.

"You should know that," he said sharply.

"Tell… Dumbledore. I've made… a terrible… mistake."

"What mistake?" Kanda snapped. What had happened to this official to make him so delusional?

"He… And once you've done that Weatherby, send an owl to-"

A jet of red light targeted Kanda, who deflected it with Mugen. Less than a second later, a green light had hit the man in front of him, who crumpled to the ground, dead. Kanda didn't recognise the light, although he knew it must have been a spell, but he most definitely did recognise the aura that limped towards him.

"Why did you kill him?" he demanded of the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"He was a Death Eater in disguise," Moody assured him.

"You don't know that," Kanda said.

"Laddie, I've been hunting them down since before you were born," the ex-Auror snapped back. "That was a Death Eater." Kanda raised Mugen and pointed it at the man.

"I don't trust you," he said plainly. "You have a malicious aura."

"That's what happens when you spend your life hunting down evil," Moody explained, somewhat impatiently. He paused and took a drink from the flask at his hip. "You have to learn to think like them to catch them. It's going to affect my aura." He narrowed his natural eye, the magical one focussing on Kanda with an uncanny focus. "You're not all sunshine and rainbows, either, are you? Barely an adult and already so used to death you didn't flinch when I killed him." Kanda didn't reply. The man's aura was undeniably malicious, but there was nothing he could do unless the man attempted to kill him, too.

"I'll report this to Dumbledore myself," the man said after a pregnant pause. "You go back to Potter." Kanda watched the man walk away, no less suspicious than he had been before the encounter. If anything, he was more suspicious.

He told Cloud about it that night, before going on patrol, and she agreed that it was too suspicious.

"Keep a close eye on him," she ordered all the exorcists. "Dumbledore trusts him, but if he puts a toe out of line make sure he puts it back, sharp." Lau Jimin chattered on her shoulder in agreement.

* * *

The morning of the third task dawned bright and early for the exorcists as they, along with Reever and the headteachers, wandered down into the Forbidden Forest.

"Ready, Allen?" Reever asked. The boy nodded and concentrated. Less than a moment later, the air in front of them was split by a doorway into the ark. Reever walked in and it was only a few moments before he re-emerged, followed by several familiar faces.

"Lenaleeeeee!" Komui squealed, clinging to his sister.

"What are you doing here, Nii-san?" she demanded. "You should be looking after the Order."

"Does it matter?" he whined, refusing to let go. "I haven't seen you for too long!" Her face softened and she embraced him back.

"I missed you, too," she smiled. "But be careful while you're here."

The others had turned their attention to the others that had wandered in.

Lavi was talking animatedly with Bookman, while Kanda was desperately trying to avoid Tiedoll's greeting as Marie and Daisya chortled in the background. Krory and Miranda were talking to Allen as Timothy received a lecture from Cloud.

"Good morning," Professor Dumbledore spoke up as the hubbub died down slightly. "May I welcome you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? I hope you enjoy your brief stay with us. I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, and with me are Madame Maxime, headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and High Master Igor Karkaroff, from Durmstrang Institute."

Komui straightened and offered his hand to each in turn, suddenly serious.

"I am Komui Lee, supervisor of the European Branch of the Black Order. With me are Bookman, General Froi Tiedoll, Noise Marie, Daisya Barry, Arystar Krory III, Miranda Lotto and Timothy Hearst, all exorcists. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

**I'm sorry! I had an exam and yeah, revision happened instead of fanfiction… And this chapter was just awkward because nothing happens in the book and the story and I just want to get to the third task already…**

**I am aware that this chapter is appalling, and I am so sorry about that, but nothing happens. The focus in the book is on House Elf Liberation Rights, which I've skipped completely because of the exorcists having nothing to do with it, and the Pensieve, which again was far too awkward to fit in. So yes, this chapter covered several months in very few words, but there was nothing to write. It gets interesting next chapter, I promise!**

**Anyway, we now have a few more exorcists thrown in (I've completely ignored the DGM timeline, hence Timothy and Daisya both being alive, and Allen being able to operate the ark but not being suspected as the 14****th****, because it makes things a lot easier).**

**Also, for anyone who enjoys or wants to try their hand at roleplaying, I am part of an RP forum and we are desperately after more people. The current RPs are a DGM, a Bleach [Hueco Mundo], and an FMA so if you're interested, PM me or mention it in a review and I will give you the information you need. It doesn't matter if you've never roleplayed before, beginners are just as welcome as anyone else!**

**Replies to Guest reviews:**

_**Guest:**_** Yes, Kanda is a very good ward against gossipers.**

_**Guest:**_** I'm trying not to let the exorcists influence how the champions perform in the tasks, so Cedric having Lavi's brain is not an advantage.**

**Thanks for your reviews! We've now broken the 300 mark and I am honoured that so many of you have taken the time to review this story.**

**That's all for this week. I will do my best to get the next chapter out on time next week, I promise!**

**Thanks for reading!  
Tsari**


	24. Into the Maze: Harry and Kanda

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 24 – Into The Maze (Harry and Kanda)

The morning of the final task was full of surprises for many of the people present. The first thing that the exorcists had done was give their reinforcements a tour of the castle – led by Lavi and his impeccable memory. Miranda managed to get herself caught in more than one trick stair and had become quite the nervous wreck by the time they stumbled into the main hall for breakfast, to the obvious astonishment of most of the students.

The extra exorcists, who had eaten before arrival, slipped away into the side chamber, ignoring the open-mouthed wizards as a whole, although Daisya and Timothy could not resist giving them a grin, and Miranda and Krory felt compelled to wave as they passed.

Kanda sidled into his seat by Harry, who was alternating between staring at the new arrivals and laughing about Rita Skeeter's latest article. That woman infuriated the Japanese to no end, vibes which Hermione appeared to pick up on as she gathered up the newspaper and put it in her bag, out of sight. She didn't stop her thoughts, though, as she dashed off to the library, something that shocked Ronald as he exclaimed about their upcoming exam. Kanda was pleasantly surprised that she hadn't begun quizzing him about his 'school mates', instead pulling Harry into the side chamber once they had finished.

The boy was obviously reluctant, adamant that there was no-one waiting for him there because the Dursleys – his family, if Kanda remembered correctly – wouldn't turn up. It was only at a growled reminder of the reinforcements that he conceded that he should enter.

"Harry!" a voice called as they entered and a plump woman with red hair very much reminiscent of Ronald and his siblings' ran over to them, pulling Harry into a hug. A man a few years older than Kanda also walked over. He too sported the same obnoxious shade of hair.

"How are you doing, Harry?" he asked as the woman reluctantly let go. "Charlie wanted to come, but he couldn't get time off. He said you were brilliant against the Horntail, though." Things began to add up as Kanda remembered the redheaded dragon keeper from the first task. The man, whose ponytail was almost as long as Kanda's own, offered his hand to the exorcist. "I'm Bill Weasley. I believe you know my brother Ron?"

Kanda studied the hand suspiciously for a moment before reluctantly accepting it.

"Kanda Yu," he replied. If this Bill was Ronald's brother then he no doubt knew about his duty. Sure enough, Bill nodded in recognition before letting his hand go. Kanda appreciated that.

"Oh, Kanda!" the woman said, opening her arms and giving him a hug. He stiffened. "Thank you for looking out for Harry!" She pulled away after a pause and patted his cheek as he scowled. "I'm Molly Weasley, Ron's mother." Kanda had worked that out, and was currently wondering how many siblings Ronald had. He had been introduced to Ginny, Fred and George at the start of the year, and had met Percy, Charlie and Bill… surely that had to be them all? And who was their father? He disregarded those as unimportant. It had nothing to do with Harry's safety and so was of no consequence.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Bagman pronounced from the head of the room. "I am sorry to interrupt, but there are a few introductions to be made." Kanda noticed that all the new arrivals, along with Cloud and Reever, were standing by him. "As you have no doubt been informed, this year the Champions are being protected outside of the tasks by students of Rōzukurosu Academy. It was initially planned that the champions would enter the final task alone, but after events earlier in the year we thought it best to change that, although the students are not permitted to assist except in an emergency. Instead, we have invited more students to join the audience, as a precaution against something of this nature happening again. We do not expect anything to occur, but the Tournament does not have a reputation for being safe."

Molly embraced Harry once again and Kanda moved away slightly, determined not to get caught up in another hug.

"If all the Rōzukurosu students could join us?" Reever asked, taking over. Kanda wasted no time in obeying. The Weasley family were too… huggy… for his liking. "I am Reever Wenhamm, headmaster of Rozukurosu Academy. My colleague Professor Cloud Nine has also been present this academic year. I expect you have already been introduced to your child's guard. They are Lenalee Lee, Allen Walker, Lavi Bookman and Kanda Yu. These are the four that will be entering the task with our champions. I can assure you that they are more than capable," he added as Molly let out a gasp, presumably after realising how young they were.

"Our additional support has come in the form of Professor Bookman, Professor Tiedoll, Professor Lee, and a handful of our elite students: Noise Marie, Daisya Barry, Miranda Lotto, Arystar Krory and Timothy Hearst," Cloud continued. "I can assure you that all of them are capable if the need arises." Each exorcist had made a gesture as they were introduced, allowing the wizards to locate who was who.

"We do not anticipate trouble," Dumbledore spoke up. "So I ask you not to be alarmed. The other students are being informed that these guests, like yourselves, are here purely to watch the task. Hopefully, that is all that they will be doing." He smiled at them all. "I shall leave you to spend time with your children."

That was Kanda's cue to reluctantly return to Harry as he left the room with the two Weasleys in tow.

"Hey, Kanda?" Bill asked as they wandered outside. "Where do the Rōzukurosu students stay? I can see the Beauxbatons carriage and the Durmstrang ship, but there's nothing for Rōzukurosu."

"We have a small area inside the castle, courtesy of Professor Dumbledore," Kanda informed him dully. Molly was instantly interested.

"May we see?" she asked. Her enthusiasm reminded Kanda of Hermione, but he got the impression she was asking more as a mother than an over-interested girl. He didn't say anything, but he did lead the way to the portrait, remembering that he was permitted to show them, even if he'd neglected to do so beforehand.

"I've never seen this area before," Bill commented as Kanda grunted the password, too quietly for the wizards to hear. It swung open and he led the way inside. The wizards seemed immediately taken aback by the piles of books cluttering the room.

"Lavi's?" Harry guessed.

"And Professor Reever," Kanda acknowledged. He made his way into the dojo, leaving the door open so that he was still aware of what was going on. If he had time to train before the maze, he was going to use it.

A magical dummy came towards him and he shed his long coat and Mugen before engaging it with his fists. He idly realised that the wizards were likely to be relieved if they saw a showcase of his skill, but ignored it.

"What about the sword?" he heard Bill ask from the doorway, but ignored him. If Harry wanted to leave he'd pack up, but until then he was going to train.

"Never seen him use it," Harry confessed. "Aside from threatening Malfoy after he tried to jinx me at the start of the year. In fact, I've never seen him fight at all." Kanda hoped it stayed that way. The wizards did not need to know about akuma, or worse Noah.

* * *

The rest of the day passed with little incident, aside from a frosty encounter between Molly and Hermione which was quickly resolved, and all too soon it was time for the task. Kanda couldn't wait to get it over with. The assignment didn't officially end until the end of the school year, but he could relax somewhat with his stringent guard duties.

They met up with the other champions and exorcists by the entrance to the maze and Kanda dodged the frantic hug from Tiedoll.

"Get off of me!" he protested as he was caught by his general for the second time that day. Timothy and Daisya laughed in the background, until Cloud ordered them to silence.

"Froi, please," Reever sighed, before turning to the others. "You know what to do." They nodded and dispersed, leaving only Cloud, Reever and Komui.

"Are you ready?" Cloud asked the remaining exorcists. "I will be patrolling with the Hogwarts Professors, and if you need help I will jump in if I can." Reever wished them all luck before disappearing off to the headteachers, Komui firmly in tow, making it look like they were back in the Order again.

"Along with Professor Nine, we will be patrolling the outside of the maze," Professor McGonagall informed the champions gesturing to herself and some of the other teachers, all of whom were sporting a large luminous red star on their hats, aside from Hagrid, whose star was on his back instead. "If you need retrieving, send up red sparks."

The four champions nodded. Bagman wished them all luck before turning to the filled stands, once again using a spell to enhance his voice.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with 103 points each – Mr Cedric Diggory and Mr Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!" Kanda disapproved of the loud cheering erupting from the stands. "In second place with 97 points – Mr Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" The cheering got louder as the Durmstrang students joined in. "And in third place with 77 points – Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"

The whole stands were ringing with encouragement for the four students – even the exorcists had joined in, Timothy looking particularly happy as Daisya encouraged him and Marie tried to calm the two idiots down.

"On my whistle, Cedric… Harry…" Bagman continued. "Three… two… one…" he gave a short blast and the two Hogwarts students entered, followed by Kanda and Lavi.

Inside the maze it was silent, the cheering crowds no longer audible, as the four of them hurried along. They came across a fork and split, Lavi following Cedric right while Kanda and Harry went left. The wand was lit, providing a source of light in the otherwise gloomy atmosphere.

Bagman's whistle sounded again, and then again, signifying that everyone had now entered the maze. This seemed to be enough of a cause for alarm for Harry to speed up, and they encountered suspiciously few obstacles as they followed the 'Point Me' spell Harry used at every turn. Kanda didn't like it – he'd been informed of the sorts of things he would be likely to face and a lack of anything had certainly not been on the substantial list.

It was almost a relief, in a way, that the Boggart appeared when it did. Kanda stayed back, not wanting to find out what his greatest fear was, and watched as Harry first repelled the disgusting creature with a silver stag before chanting something that sounded like 'ridiculous' and causing it to explode.

Their next obstacle came in the form of a shimmering mist that reversed the senses. Kanda found that very disorientating as he accompanied Harry through it, only to come face to face with a creature that both were familiar with, but neither had wanted to meet.

A fully-grown Blast Ended Skrewt advanced on them menacingly, stinger poised to strike. Kanda once again stayed back, watching as Harry cast spell after spell at it in increasing levels of panic until finally managing to freeze it.

"I'd hoped they weren't in here," Harry panted, speaking for the first time since they had entered the maze, as they fled from the temporarily-stunned creature. Kanda saw no reason to reply, and so he didn't. There was something wrong about this whole thing but he didn't know what, and that grated at him.

The sphinx that they encountered made him secretly grateful that he didn't have to answer the questions. He was not a thinker or a puzzle solver. That was reserved for Lavi.

_First think of the person who lives in disguise,  
Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies.  
Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,  
The middle of middle and end of the end?  
And finally give me the sound often heard  
During the search for a hard-to-find word.  
Now string them together, and answer me this,  
Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?_

Kanda could think of several creatures he would not like to kiss. In fact, he was hard pressed to think of any that he would. Harry seemed to have similar sentiments, if his mutterings to himself were anything to go by. While the boy worked his way through the clues, he eyed up the sphinx in front of him. As long as he remained silent, she would not attack him. If Harry got the riddle wrong then Kanda would have to ensure that he didn't die, but that was it and he would be disqualified from the task if the exorcist did have to step in.

For her part, the sphinx was eyeing him up, too, although she said nothing unless Harry asked her to repeat the riddle. She was clearly fascinated by him, but he was not a part of the task and so she could not address him.

Harry finally realised that the answer was spider, after several repetitions of 'spy-er', 'spy-er' and she moved aside to let them pass, Harry picking up speed rapidly. Kanda kept up with ease and it was only after a few more turns and 'Point Me's that they caught sight of the trophy sitting in the centre of the maze.

Harry ran towards it at speed, before skidding to a halt. There, guarding the prize, was quite frankly the biggest spider Kanda had ever seen. Harry seemed somewhat daunted as he raised his wand before casting a myriad of spells at it. The names were somewhat familiar to Kanda by now after all the time he'd spent observing Harry and his friends practising during their spare time. Stunning spells and other spells meant to distract or impede it were fired with no effect aside from irritating the beast, which began to move towards them. It didn't seem to be in any hurry, perhaps because it didn't think that they posed a threat to it.

"Arania Exumai!" Harry nearly screamed as it approached, causing a bright light to flash out of his wand, sending the spider hurtling backwards. Kanda found himself mildly impressed that magic could do such a thing as he followed Harry forwards to the trophy.

As Harry reached for it he narrowed his eyes as several malicious auras suddenly caught his attention. One came from the cup and he lunged for it just as Harry grabbed it. His outstretched finger made contact with it just in time and he felt something hook onto him as the maze disappeared. The feeling of evil increased and he realised that something had gone very wrong.

**Sorry it's late. Things happened and apparently I can't write when I haven't slept for 30 plus hours… It's also rather short, but there wasn't much to expand on as this is all just Harry (the others are coming and I have a lot more freedom with those so hopefully they'll be longer). For those of you who have not read the book (I know there's a few), this is the actual maze. The film version is very different to the book. For those of you that do know this version, yes I cut out all the Cedric interaction and only skimmed over most of the obstacles because it's all from Kanda's PoV, and he doesn't really care.**

**The encounter with the spider is also different. The spell Harry uses is one from the second film against the acromantula, so I assumed that it would be powerful enough to deal with this spider, too.**

**Also, you're not going to like this but I'm afraid that for the next four weeks there will be very few, if any, updates due to the fact that I'm on an archaeological dig and most likely won't have the time to update. Sorry; I'll do my best to get some chapters up.**

**We are still looking for new RPers! The DGM one, especially, needs more people (thanks for joining, Alaska!). Message me or mention it in a review if you're interested.**

**Replies to Guest reviews:**

_**Joliesme:**_** Action will come. It's the third task, after all!**

_**Skorm:**_** I know, and I'm sorry. That chapter was very difficult to write and there wasn't much to put in it.**

_**Guest**_** and **_**Guest:**_** Cedric's fate is already planned. As you can see, he's not going to the graveyard.**

_**That-Other-One:**_** I'm glad you liked the mail scene. As for the spectacle… you shall see.**

**Thanks for your reviews!**

**I will do my best to update this when I can over the next four weeks, but no promises. If I do update, it's more likely to be at the weekend.**

**Thanks for reading!  
Tsari**


	25. Into the Maze: Cedric and Lavi

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 25 – Into The Maze (Cedric and Lavi)

"So you're the Lavi my son's told me so much about," Amos Diggory said the moment they approached him in the side chamber, giving Cedric a hug. "And you, my boy! First place!"

"Tied first place, Dad," Cedric stressed, hearing a suspiciously-understanding snicker from his red-haired companion. Trust Lavi to have already worked out that Amos thought his son the best in the world. "Harry's also first."

"How did that boy get into the Tournament, anyway?" the man demanded, releasing his son. "He must have cheated to get past the Age Line! I told Dumbledore-"

"Amos," Mrs Diggory said quietly, putting a hand on his arm. He silenced instantly. "Thank you for looking after my son," she said to Lavi, who just shrugged modestly.

"He stayed out of trouble," the redhead said. "Made my job easy." The way he said it made Cedric wonder if some of the other Champions had given their guards any problems.

When the Rōzukurosu students were called up, and his parents got a look at them all, the reaction was, somewhat, predictable.

"What is Dumbledore thinking, using such young students?" Amos demanded quietly of his son. "They can't be any older than you!" Cedric refrained from informing him that actually, two of them were younger than him.

"You saw the _Prophet_," his mother reminded him. "They're all capable." Cedric nodded in agreement, remembering the terror of the wizards, and the comparative calm of the Rōzukurosu group. He had felt safe after that, in contrast to the majority of the school. His friends had started giving Lavi funny looks after that, but he'd managed to persuade them that the older boy was not going to hurt them. He hadn't even been one of the ones that had fought.

"The _Prophet_ has been suspicious of them all year," Amos retorted, not bothering to lower his voice as Lavi headed back to them.

"You know Rita Skeeter, Dad," Cedric groaned. "They're nothing like she described them, well, except maybe Kanda." He pointed at the Japanese, who was leaving the room with Harry and some of the Weasleys. "I'm glad I didn't get him."

"Nah," Lavi re-joined the conversation. "Yu's fine, as long as you don't upset him. He's just shy." Cedric doubted that, but said nothing, not wanting to make his father even unhappier.

"I'm going to talk to your headmaster," Amos said to Lavi suddenly. "I want to know more about your school." He headed straight over to where Professor Wenhamm was talking to Dumbledore. Cedric trailed after him reluctantly, alongside his sighing mother.

"Your father needs to calm down," she told him. He agreed. Lavi, on the other hand, just shrugged.

"He's a Ministry Official, right?" he asked. "Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures?" Cedric nodded, trying to remember when he'd said that. Then again, knowing Lavi he'd probably found it out himself somehow. As long as he didn't start spouting dates concerning his father, he didn't really mind. "The Ministry doesn't like us, because we keep evading them. We're a very private school, after all. Most people in the Ministry don't even know we exist."

Cedric understood that. After his first letter to his father about the Tournament, he'd been met with incredulation concerning the fourth school. He only accepted it once Rita Skeeter's article had been published.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that," Professor Wenhamm was saying to his father. It appeared to be the regular answer, if the increasingly frustrated look on Amos' face was anything to go by.

"How do I know this Rōzukurosu Academy for Combat Magic even exists?" Amos demanded.

"I can vouch for that, Amos," Dumbledore interjected. "I've been there. It's quite the delightful place, once one gets used to the gloom and bats." Amos' mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to find a response. "Perhaps you should be spending this time with your son and Mr Bookman?" the Hogwarts headmaster continued pleasantly. "This is quite the rare opportunity, after all."

After a noticeable hesitation, Amos nodded.

"I shall talk to you later," he decided before turning back to his family. "Dear, Cedric… Lavi. Shall we go?" Cedric was all too eager to get his father away before he started upsetting more people. It was a miracle he hadn't begun arguing with Harry and the Weasleys, considering his opinions concerning the younger boy competing.

* * *

To Cedric's relief, his father and Lavi soon found things to talk about – although that probably wasn't a surprise considering that Lavi often seemed like a walking, talking, encyclopaedia. He left them to their discussion of magical creatures, instead catching up on everything that he'd been missing at home with his mother. As usual, the answer was not much, but it was always nice to talk to her.

Then, of course, came the inevitable questions concerning the Tournament so far. He gave his parents blow-by-blow accounts of all the dragon tasks that he'd witnessed, and the summaries he'd heard from his friends of the ones he'd missed, and then how he had done in the lake, with Cho as his hostage.

His mother beamed ear to ear when she heard that, and promptly demanded to be introduced to his girlfriend. Lunchtime was not for another hour, but he promised that he would introduce them then. Lavi helpfully inserted a few comments on her being 'pretty' and 'intelligent', which just made his mother even more eager to meet her.

The meeting was a success. The females were immediately taken with each other, including Lenalee and Fleur, who were, as usual, sitting with Cho and the strange third year Ravenclaw whose name escaped him. Feeling somewhat left out of the women's talk, which grew to include Madame Delacour as well, Cedric turned to Lavi while his father spoke to Fleur's, although what they'd found in common escaped him.

The announcement for them all to head towards the Maze came not a moment too soon as the females started giggling.

He bid his parents and Cho farewell once reaching the mutilated Quidditch pitch, watching them enter the stands before heading towards the entrance to the maze, where they were accosted by one of the Rōzukurosu professors.

"Remember," the short, elderly man said seriously to Lavi. "Observe only. Do not interfere."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, Old Panda," Lavi sighed, and promptly received a kick to the face. "Ow!" Cedric flinched in sympathy.

"This is serious, you fool!" 'Old Panda' barked before turning to Cedric. "I am Professor Bookman. I do hope this fool has not been causing trouble." The Hufflepuff blinked, taken aback before shaking his head.

"He's been great," he reassured the professor, who nodded, then promptly shooed them towards the growing huddle of Rōzukurosu students and champions.

"He's always like that," Lavi told him in a conspiratorial whisper. "Don't mind him." He ducked as a foot sailed over his head. Cedric wondered how the little man could reach so high with his kicks. "Jeez, Old Panda!"

"Stop dawdling!" Professor Bookman snapped. "You're late." They weren't, were they? A glance at a timer told Cedric that it was two seconds after they were supposed to arrive.

No-one else seemed to care as he came to a stop by the others and awaited his instructions.

* * *

The moment he and Lavi left Harry and Kanda, the reality that it was really the third task set in. Lavi was unusually silent behind him, and he remembered that the other boy was not allowed to help. He probably also knew all the obstacles within the maze and how to counteract them, too. The second and third whistles sounded too soon and it felt like his advantage was already gone. Around the next corner, he was greeted by a particularly unwelcome sight. There, looming over him in the most intimidating fashion, was none other than one of Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts. How was he supposed to deal with this?

Digression appeared to be the better part of valour in this case and he turned tail and fled, narrowly missing a burst of flame. Lavi was right on his heel, equally dodging the attacks of the creature that was far too fast for its size. Cedric had a moment to feel jealous of the other's evasion ability before he found himself running head first into a door. A second wall appeared behind him cutting him off, and he tugged at the handle. Of course, it didn't budge. Instead, a selection of keys materialised. He tugged at the handle once more, to no avail, before turning his attention to them. This wasn't going to be easy. Who knew what he was going to have to go through before he got the right one..?

Just as he was about to reach for the first one, he remembered the entrance to his own common room. Simple was best…

"Alohomora!" he tried, hoping it would work…

To his amazement, and utter relief, it did. The door swung open and he darted through. Not a moment too soon as the barrier between him and the Skrewt also disappeared and it renewed its efforts to kill him. It barged through the mass of keys, and suddenly it stopped. Risking a glance over his shoulder, Cedric saw that it was buried under an ever-increasing pile of metal and shuddered as he realised it could easily have been him.

Of course, he wasn't surprised that he'd had to deal with two obstacles in quick succession – this was a difficult task. All the previous tasks now meant nothing. It was a simple case of who got to the cup first.

Coming to a four-way split, he paused and glanced at his wand.

"Point me," he muttered, watching as it directed him to go straight ahead. Well, he had no better options, so he obeyed it and found himself faced with a nest of doxies. The moment they noticed him they swarmed towards him, and he cast a protection charm, having no wish to be bitten. He had no antidote and so would likely have to retire from the task if that happened. Casting a repelling charm around him, he charged through, not noticing Lavi sticking unusually close behind instead of casting his own spell, a tiny hammer in his hand swatting away any that got too close to him.

A few minutes later, the worst of the nest had retreated, with only a few stray doxies persistently trying to bite him. He managed to take care of them with a few well-aimed stunners.

"What's next?" he muttered grimly before rounding the corner to come face to face with long waving vines. He immediately backed up, thanking whatever was listening that he was a Hufflepuff student, with a helpful Head of House. He ducked the plant's vines as they lashed out at him, fangs extended, and quickly cast a handful of severing charms. The Venomous Tentacula protested as he did so, and he took its momentary distraction as an opportunity to run past.

He'd been lucky so far. None of the obstacles had been bad enough that he had had to find an alternative route, although it had been close with the doxies. That luck ran out when he hit a dead end. No amount of spells would allow him to cut through it, so he retreated, taking the next available turn to get buffeted by what could only be described as massive hailstones. A gale behind him forced him to go on through, despite wanting to retreat away from the painful missiles. Shield charms did nothing against the obviously-enchanted weather and he battled through it, despairing as he failed to see the end. It was tempting to surrender and shoot red sparks up into the sky, but his stubbornness shone through. Shielding his face with his arms as best he could, he pushed onwards, hearing quiet mutters of what was probably annoyance from Lavi behind him. He could hear a few thuds, but didn't dare turn to look in case he got a hailstone to the eye.

His uniform was in tatters, and his arms bleeding, by the time he finally emerged from the storm, and he frowned when he caught sight of Lavi. Aside from the odd scrape, he seemed unharmed.

"How did you manage that?" he demanded. Lavi shrugged.

"We have well-made uniforms," he said. Cedric noticed that his hand was resting by his right thigh, where he knew the tiny hammer was. The sounds had probably been Lavi knocking the icy stones away from himself. Lucky.

"So what is this going to throw at us now?" he wondered, walking down a thankfully empty route for the moment. Apparently it had decided that he deserved a rest after everything he had been through already that afternoon.

Or it was getting him ready for something even worse, he wondered as he froze. There, in front of him, was the last thing he ever wanted to see. It loomed closer and he tried to stumble backwards in terror, but he tripped over the bottom of his cloak and fell backwards. Part of his mind idly noticed that Lavi hadn't caught him – in fact, he was staying a long way back, further than he had been throughout the rest of the maze. But that was only part of his mind, while the rest of it struggled to remember how to deal with this thing, underneath the panic that had gripped him.

"Ridikulous!" he spluttered eventually, and the Boggart disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "Figures there'd be one of those in here," he muttered. Lavi caught up with him again and the two continued to advance.

There was suspiciously few obstacles from that point onward. At one point, the hedge itself leaped out to get at him, vines sneaking out from near the ground to curl around his angles, which he severed with _Diffindo_, but aside from that there was nothing.

He wondered how the other Champions were doing. He hadn't seen or heard anything from any of them. There had been no red sparks, which meant that they were all still in the running, but the maze had not appeared that big from when he had seen it – indeed, it was only the size of the Quidditch pitch – so to have not encountered any of them, even briefly, was a surprise.

He rounded the next corner and paused, seeing what appeared to be a man standing there, dressed smartly and hands tucked in his pockets. He stepped forwards cautiously, wand extended and ready for a duel, when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Good day," the man said as Lavi pushed Cedric sideways and backwards, a terrifyingly serious look on his face, completely out of character for the jovial Rōzukurosu student. "Long time, no see, Bookman Junior."

**I know, I know. I don't update for months, then I give you a cliffhanger. I'm sorry.**

**On the subject of not updating for a long time, I would like to give a huge thank you to the following people, who rose to the occasion of assisting me magnificently and without whom this chapter probably wouldn't exist:  
**_777angeloflove_**; **_Aceidia_**; **_Alina97_**; **_An-chan95_**; **_AnimeWarrioress 359_**; **_Anon23_**; **_Aya Maria Sparkle_**; **_Celynne_**; **_CloudCarnivore_**; **_crazy-ghost-girl_**; **_DGMSilverAirHead03_**;**_ fairygirl90_**; **_Guest_**; **_Katherine Sanderson_**; **_liketolaugh_**; **_MoogleGirlOfTheWorld_**; **_nene (guest)_**; **_Rex888_**; **_Rhetorical irony_**; **_Sephiroth Cresent-Valentine_**; **_SeverusPrince101_**; **_Skorm (guest)_**; **_StrayDogHowling028_**; **_tocksters_**; **_XIII-Jinx-XIII_**; **_ZDrive (guest)_**; **_zebrastripes150802_**.  
Thank you for all your wonderful ideas! They may not all be used, but they were all gratefully received.**

**Replies to Guest reviews:**

_**Joliesme:**_** Yes, action. It's the third task, after all. And I'm trying to make things different (although Harry's part was just the book version from Kanda's point of view with a couple of edits).**

_**nene: **_**Thanks for the list of creatures!**

_**Guest: **_**That was a lot of ideas, thank you!**

_**ZDrive: **_**I haven't seen The Mummy or Indiana Jones, but thanks for all the other suggestions!**

_**Skorm: **_**I know you're eager for more akuma, but I was more looking for the planned obstacles.**

_**Anon23: **_**I'm still here, don't worry!**

**Thanks for reading!  
Tsari**


	26. Into the Maze: Krum and Allen

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_ -Man_** or **_Harry Potter_**.**

Chapter 26 – Into The Maze (Krum and Allen)

It was little surprise to Krum that his parents were waiting for him in the side chamber. They always supported him, whatever he did, and this was no different. The danger concerned them, of course, but not to the extent that might be expected of them. People that thought that, however, seemed to forget that he was an international Quidditch player, renowned for his mastery of the Wronski Feint. Said mastery did not happen without practise, and lots of crashes. He'd ended up in hospital in a coma more than once. His parents did not like it, but they had grown used to his death-defying antics years ago. This was merely another one of those to them.

Their main interests were split rather predictably. He was close friends with a friend of the Boy Who Lived, so of course they wanted to know all about that. His mother had grown despairing over the idea that he would be doomed to remain alone his whole life, dogged by fangirls that only cared for his fame, so the idea that he spent time with a girl who had little interest in his sport, or his fame, and was far more interested in books and getting to know him, not his fame, was a blessing to her. Of course, she had worried about a recent article proclaiming a love triangle, but Krum was quick to reassure her that there was nothing between Herm-own-ninny and Harry beyond friendship.

The other interest was, of course, Allen, who had greeted them extremely politely with a bow, and had even kissed his mother's hand with a compliment that had made her blush. She had exclaimed about his perfect manners in their native tongue, leaving Krum to translate for Allen, who had modestly said that it was how any man should behave in the presence of a lady, earning himself another blush and a slight titter.

The idea that Rōzukurosu Academy did not teach their students Quidditch received mixed reactions. His father, who was keen on playing the game when he had the time, was horrified, only slightly placated when informed that Krum had taught him some aspects of the game over the year, while his mother expressed relief that a school that already taught apparently-dangerous things was not adding to it with a game so fraught with risk. She was ignored by the male members of her family, who were insistent that Quidditch was a vital skill to have.

"Mad," she commented to Allen in English as the other males began discussing the latest developments in international Quidditch regulations, her accent thick. The teenager quietly confessed in return that he could see the appeal in it, but that it was not something he would dedicate his life to. Unsurprisingly, their conversation turned to what he did learn at Rozukurosu, which was of great interest to her. Her English was broken and heavily accented, so Allen often had to repeat things or apologetically interrupt Krum's conversation so that he could translate.

"Is your tutor here?" Krum asked out of curiosity a while later, his own conversation coming to a halt as he surveyed the remaining Rozukurosu staff and students. The other champions had moved off by now, so it was only the Krum family remaining within the side chamber.

"No, he isn't," Allen replied, obviously relieved. "He stayed behind to keep the school in check."

"Vhat sort of teacher does not come to vatch his student?" Krum's father demanded.

"Mine," Allen confessed glumly. "I don't mind, though. It's a relief to not be called 'idiot apprentice' every five minutes."

That sparked another discussion about his school, where they were assured that no, none of the teachers were incompetent. Some of them just liked to use reverse psychology to improve their students' capabilities. Allen's teacher was one of that mind-set.

* * *

Eventually, they decided to leave the side chamber, only to encounter Professor Karkaroff, who had no doubt been waiting for them. To Krum's distaste, his High Master evaded all attempts to get him to leave them alone as he boasted about his favourite student's prowess within the task. Being third was not Krum's idea of 'winning', but Karkaroff had always turned a blind eye to things he didn't want to see.

Thankfully, his parents were well aware of the man's penchant for exaggeration and responded accordingly with appropriate phases when required. Krum himself hung back with Allen, not wanting to get involved until Poliakoff made an appearance.

His best friend was popular with his parents, and they politely excused themselves from Karkaroff to talk with him animatedly. Krum made it a point to tell them that the other boy had solved the riddle for the second task, not him. Poliakoff's face went bright red when Mrs Krum embraced him and Mr Krum shook his hand warmly, both thanking him for assisting their son.

At the Slytherin table at lunch time, they encountered the blond Malfoy and his two, rather thick, companions, who insisted on conversing with them. Despite everything that Allen had told him over the year, it appeared that he was still far more interested in family standings than anything else as he engaged in a polite, but strenuously under-toned, discussion with Mr Krum about something Krum did not know, or care about, as he continued to talk with his mother and Poliakoff.

It was a relief to get away from the young Malfoy when they were called to the maze, although it did, rather regrettably, mean leaving his parents with him and Karkaroff. Luckily, Poliakoff also remained with them, sparing them from being entirely surrounded by politically-minded conversationalists.

"_Dobŭr kŭsmet_, Viktor!" his mother called as he left her after a brief embrace. He waved slightly as he and Allen made their way down to the entrance of the maze, where they received their instructions.

* * *

Krum watched Harry and Cedric disappear into the maze, their guards silent behind them, and gritted his teeth, knowing that he was next. As Bagman got ready to blow the whistle a second time, marking his start, he glanced around, nodding at Fleur, who smiled back wanly, and receiving a quiet "good luck; I'll be right behind you" from Allen, barely audible over the noise of the crowd, who did not appear to know how to be quiet.

The whistle split the air, accompanied by a roar from the stands where his schoolmates sat, and he stepped into the hedged enclosure, the noise immediately being cut off by what he assumed was some form of silencing charm. Allen walked behind him, not by his side as he had grown used to, and it made him feel isolated, despite the white haired boy's presence just behind him.

Walking down the passageway, Krum quickly got the paranoid suspicion that he was being followed. Glancing around, he caught sight of a relatively large rock behind him. Ordinarily, he would ignore it, dismissing it as nothing, but this was the third task. Nothing in here would be an accident, so he aimed his wand at it and cast a silent reductor curse. The Pogrebin exploded in a rather disgusting shower and Krum noticed Allen flinch before he turned back around, continuing on. That had been an easy obstacle. He didn't expect that to continue.

He was proved correct when his foot splashed into a bog. Pulling back rapidly, he noticed an invisible barrier behind him. It was pass through the swamp, or forfeit. He wasn't going to forfeit, so he stepped back into it with a disgusting squelch. Walking through the soggy surface was difficult, to say the least, but it had proved impossible to banish, or otherwise bypass, so he had to limp along as best he could.

A glowing light caught his attention and he regarded it cautiously, instantly aware. Was it fire? It kept going ahead of him as he walked, until it reached a junction, where it turned right. This instantly put Krum on alert as his internal compass was telling him to go left, confirmed by a Point Me spell. When he tried to go left, however, he was trailed by the light, which got brighter and brighter until he could see the wispy form of the creature carrying it, which his research into magical creatures informed him was a Hinkypunk, or Will-'o-the-wisp.

Luckily, his research had also taught him how to deal with it as it began to throw fire his way. He blocked it with a silent shield before casting _Lumos Duo _several times in quick succession, forcing the creature to take a corporeal form. With that successfully performed, to the creature's obvious annoyance, he cast _Flipendo_ at it repeatedly until it dissipated into nothing.

The swamp continued to try and drag him down for the next several turns he made, more Hinkypunks trying to lure him off course at almost every junction. It was a relief when he finally managed to stumble out of the mess and onto solid land, but that was short-lived as the earth crumbled beneath him to land him on something big, and moving. Something wrapped around his leg and he tugged at it, only for more of the things to reach and ensnare his arms. He attempted to cast _Diffindo_, but it was difficult to aim and he was wary of severing his own leg. Whatever this thing was, it was alive.

In the gloom, it was difficult to see what he was facing, so he performed a quick _lumos_, to reveal a tentacled plant with vines, shrivelling away from the tip of his wand. So this thing, whatever it was, although Krum was starting to suspect it was a Devil's Snare, or similarly malevolent plant, did not like light. With that in mind, he cast a stronger _lumos_ spell to give him some thinking time as the vines retreated slightly further, but if he tried to move they would be back onto him in a moment. He spared a thought for where Allen was and spotted him still in the swamp a little way behind.

"_Incendio!"_ he cast, deciding to try a fire spell. At the very least it would burn away the vines closest to him. It worked better than expected, with the whole plant tumbling over itself to try and get as far away as possible. Using the fire as a distraction, he extracted himself from the retreating bonds and, with a small bit of difficulty, hoisted himself back up onto the earthen path within the maze. Allen nimbly leaped over the crater to join him, despite the large size.

A jet of light bounced off of Allen's left hand and they both instinctively turned to see where it had originated from. To their surprise, it had come through the hedge as they both dodged another one.

"Vhat is this?" Krum asked rhetorically as they took off running, Allen hanging back to keep with the slower champion, hoping to evade any further ones.

"Not part of the task," Allen frowned, to Krum's surprise. He offered no more information, but the Bulgarian made it a point to get away from that part of the maze. He didn't need further complications; the task was difficult enough as it was.

Rounding another few corners, Krum ground to a halt as he was faced with two large wolves, their teeth bared in a snarl. Running away would be futile – Krum was not the fastest of runners, and the two large canines would hunt him down in an instant. He would have to use magic to get past this particular obstacle.

A pair of stunners did little more than annoy them, but an _Impedimenta_ slowed them down enough to get past them before he conjured a barricade of rocks to keep them behind him, hoping that he would not need to return that way.

Panting slightly by this point, Krum rounded another corner, to see a barricade much like the one he had created blocking his path. Unsure if this was because he'd been looped around, or if it was just another obstacle, he decided against blasting his way through it, instead backtracking to the previous junction and heading that way again, despite various Point Me spells proclaiming that he was going in the wrong direction. He attempted to rectify that by taking the next left he saw, to be faced with a slow, but definitely dangerous, troll. It also stank.

Krum felt beyond lucky that he knew what to do when faced with one; a Scandinavian school found it to be an important lesson, due to their frequent appearances. A couple of well-aimed spells inconvenienced the creature enough for him to knock it backwards, through a hedge. It was only a temporary measure, but the hedge sealed up again before it could come back through. He heard an exclamation of disgust as it closed and felt marginally guilty for throwing it at the two girls, although Fleur was an extremely capable witch, from what he had seen. He was sure that she would be fine.

Not wanting to hang around in case it came flying back through the hedge, he quickly ploughed onwards, heading towards the centre of the maze, if his Point Me spell was still accurate.

The next, rather unwelcome, obstacle, had Allen backing up behind him, looking pale. Krum couldn't see what was so wrong about the plants, which looked infinitely friendlier than the Devil's Snare from earlier, but if they were in the maze, they were bound to be trouble. The white haired boy was muttering something under his breath, but Krum couldn't hear it, and was more interested in the fact that the plants had suddenly shot forwards, revealing teeth in their centres and definitely wanting to eat him.

He shot a severing charm at one, but that only served in incense them, it appeared, as the companions of the now-beheaded flower attacked with a vengeance, one picking him up by the ankle and hanging him upside-down. Allen was looking like he was about to faint, but whatever he was muttering under his breath was keeping the flowers away from him. Krum felt a pang of jealousy that the young boy knew how to cope with something that he didn't, but as the teeth began to close on his ankle, he sent a fireball hurtling towards the one responsible, forcing it to drop him. He landed jarringly on his stomach, immediately winded, but forced himself back to his feet immediately, shooting more destructive spells at the flowers as they continued to attack him, covering him with small scrapes.

The flowers suddenly erupted into one massive fireball and Krum put up a defensive shield against the heat as they withered away to nothing, the flame then disappearing as well.

"Hee!" He turned his head to see a strange blonde creature – it looked like a human, and possibly male, but he couldn't be certain – sitting on top of the hedge. Behind it was a black-haired male whose entire pose oozed insolence. Both held what looked like muggle guns in their hands, lazily pointing them at each other's heads.

"Pay up, apprentice!" the black-haired one called, as a black hand gently guided Krum back, away from them.

"Also not part of the task," Allen's voice muttered from behind him.

**Yes, another cliffhanger, without resolving last chapter's. I'm sorry. I'm also sorry this is slightly late. I'll do my best to get the next chapter out actually on Wednesday, for once.**

**Translations:**

"_Dobŭr kŭsmet_**" (**добър късмет**) is, according to Google Translate, Bulgarian for "Good luck". If anyone knows a better translation, please tell me.**

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_**Guest:**_** It might be :P**

**Thanks for your reviews!**

**Thanks for reading!  
Tsari**


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